Nothing But Trouble
by ShyAnon
Summary: All Lady wanted was a bit of R&R, but you cannot hide from Dante when he's determined. The question is, what exactly does he have in mind, and what does it have to do with Lady and Vergil? Nothing is more dangerous than Dante with a plan... -COMPLETE-
1. Trouble, Thy Name Is Dante

**Two stories in one day, I'm on a roll! lol**

**Originally this was supposed to be a Oneshot, but I realized that it would be more of a short story...lol If you guys want me to continue then I will. I am enjoying writing this one as it involves my 3 favorite characters. :)**

**Once this story closes I can exclusively work on my sequel. So we'll see how this one does. More chapters to come!**

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**Nothing but Trouble**

**Chapter 1**

Peace and quiet...

It was all Lady had wanted all week. Time to relax and let her aching muscles take a well deserved break, but even she knew there was no rest for the wicked. As long as there were wicked things in the world she would have no rest.

She had finally managed to find just such a quiet moment. She soaked in a steamy bath that felt so good she could've wept. Of course she wouldn't though, as she had left those behind that day in Temen-ni-gru. Oh yes, that incident that had somehow managed to change her outlook on her mission. To kill all demons when she found them, but now with two exceptions.

Dante and Vergil...

Lady leaned back in the tub, not wanting to think of those two just now. Vergil, well, he thankfully left her alone. Dante however seemed to think of her as a personal assistant to be called whenever he needed a second person for a job. Thanks to his request for her help her caseload had exploded and she had trouble finding time to even think clearly.

This time she had managed to lose Dante. She had recently moved without mentioning it to him and hadn't seen him in over a month. Despite this she still found plenty of things to keep her busy. But she wasn't as overwhelmed as she had been.

She placed a washcloth over her eyes and let herself just drift away. It was amazing how a little warm water could feel so damned good. She could hear the fall of the tap water by her feet, and the feel of the ripples it made near her toes. As she listened intently to its rhythm though, she heard something else. It sounded like someone was moving around just below her.

"Damn it all." She growled as she stood, wrapped a towel about her, and grabbed the small handgun she'd kept close at all times. She gave the steamy bath one last mournful glance before slowly opening the bathroom door. She turned the corner quickly to make sure her path was clear. She did it more out of cautious habit as the sound came again, and it was definitely downstairs.

Lady made her way down the steps, her feet padding water in her wake. She crossed the room slowly and stood by the kitchen door. She could hear an odd tinkling with some shuffling noises. As she glanced around the corner her eyebrow went up as she realized someone was going through her fridge. All that was visable of the bent figure was a pair of laquer black boots, and a long overcoat that followed them a few inches from floor. Her eyes narrowed.

"HOW did you find me?" She snapped, dropping her stance and stalking towards the open fridge door. Dante stood to his full height from crouching to dig through her leftovers.

"You're out of beer." He stated with a frown, not paying her much mind. Lady kicked the door closed and gave him an evil glare.

"Get out!" She snapped at him again, pulling the leftover Chinese from his hand as he sniffed at it. "I told you NOT to follow me anymore!"

"Aha!" He suddenly perked up, lifting a finger at her. "Right, but I'm not. Got any pizza?" He added, moving to open her freezer. Lady put her hand to the door as he tried to open it.

"Oh really? So you breaking into my place unannounced, when I told you to stop coming around, is just a coincidence?"

"You could say that. After all, you moved into _my_ back yard." He watched tentatively as Lady opened her mouth to speak, but just closed it again.

"What are you talking about? You don't live here!" She replied, recovering quickly.

"Well, I didn't... but for the time I do. My last place, well..." He grinned widely. Lady shook her head and put a hand up.

"Don't you EVEN think about it! I'm not taking you in." She protested.

"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of asking. I'm only here on business, staying in a hotel." Lady noticed the smile on his face and she looked at him suspiciously.

"Then why are you here?" She asked.

"I need your h..."

"NO way, get out now!" Lady yelled, cutting him off before he could get the words out. Of course he needed her help! He always needed her help one way or another, and she had foolishly accepted time and time again. But this time she wouldn't give in, she would stand her ground against him.

"C'mon now, how many times have I saved your ass?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ha! Like the time you asked me to join you in flushing out a demon nest, and you LEFT me there to dig my way out while you were off flirting with some demon chick?"

"You made it out alive, didn't you?"

"Or the time you told me I could walk over the spiked pit with the ring you gave me, only to find you'd given me the WRONG ONE and I almost was impaled."

"I grabbed you partway down." He replied meekly, not looking at her and rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, this one isn't dangerous."

"Not interested. You know where the door is." Lady replied, turning and walking out of the kitchen. She had gotten close to the stairway when she heard his heavy footfalls behind her. She decided not to turn around, as he had probably hoped to persuade her. He was notorious for being persistent, and it was this that had gotten her to help him in the past. One thing she hated about Dante was his ability to annoy her into submission.

Instead though, she felt him closing in on her fast. He attempted to throw an arm around her, so she turned to punch him good and hard. Instead it allowed him to lift her up like a damsel in distress. One minute she was watching the stairs, and the next she was looking at him with the intent to kill.

"Put me down!" She yelled, holding the gun in her hand just under his chin. Dante only chuckled in his throat, a rumbling noise that connected to the playfulness in his eyes.

"Now now Lady. You didn't think I wouldn't notice the towel?" She felt his hand up under her thigh squeeze a bit and she punched him hard on the shoulder with her free hand.

"Put me down NOW, or so help me Dante." She growled, cocking the gun. Dante only breathed in deeply.

"Mmmm, nothing like the scent of a woman fresh from the bath to get the blood flowing." He grinned down at her with a lazy look in his eyes. "Even if I dropped you, I'm pretty sure you'd still be held up by my..."

"You're sick!" Lady's eyes went wide and redness flooded her cheeks.

"No, just well endowed." He replied. "Are you blushing my dear? Want to test the theory?" Dante let go of her for an instant and Lady was almost jolted to the floor, but she didn't want to know the answer to this theory. She grasped onto his neck to prevent herself from going any further. Dante grabbed her as quickly as he dropped her, enjoying in the shock on her face.

"I'm going to kill you!" She growled.

"Go on then, shoot me." He murmured to her in a honeyed tone that made the hair on her arms stand on end. "But you know as well as I do that it won't do anything." His hand had slipped up from under her knees and was getting dangerously close to the bottom of the towel.

Lady looked up at Dante with a wide grin forming on her lips. She leaned in ever so close to his face and whispered. "It may not kill you, but it'll hurt like hell."

"Yeah. But it'll be so worth it." He cooed as he let his hand slide up the bottom of the towel at the same instant Lady pulled the trigger. Dante took the bullet with a wolfish grin that made Lady want to pummel him.

She didn't fall too gracefully as he fell backwards, but she did manage to catch herself so she didn't fall on her butt. She crouched down looking at Dante's quiet form with a girlish smirk. He'll be feeling that when he wakes up.

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By the time Dante had recovered Lady was already fully clothed and in a considerably better mood. She forgot how much she enjoyed shooting him. When she came down he was sitting on one of the scarce pieces of furniture she had here. Dante was holding his head and trying to spit out the taste of gun powder.

"You are such a bitch." Dante growled as he noticed her.

"And you are nothing but a lowlife pervert, but what else is knew?" She chimed, picking up Kalina Ann and placing it across her lap. She began to clean it when she realized Dante wasn't leaving. "Look, I'm not helping you, so go away. Today's my day off."

"So you're going to stay home all day and clean your weapons? Doesn't sound like much of a day off." Dante said irritably as he stood to look around. "Now, if you were to join up with me on the other hand..."

"Not interested. Go ask Vergil to help you." She replied, not looking at him. Dante pulled up a wooden chair in front of her and sat on it backwards. He wrapped his arms on the top of the back part and looked at her over them.

"That's the thing. I'm gonna need his help too, but I need YOUR help to persuade him."

Lady looked up at him with a doubtful look. "How could I possibly help you with anything regarding Vergil?"

The truth of the matter was, that while Vergil wasn't hell-bent on killing everything he came in contact with anymore, he still wasn't too keen on helping people either. The small amount of regard he showed towards her and Dante was a civil uncaring. From time to time he could be bated into helping them if the task interested him, but that was a rarity in and of itself. For the most part, Dante had been a freeloader in Vergil's home who was only tolerated for some unknown reason.

"Because, I think Vergil likes you." Dante whispered from behind his arms, his eyes going wide in a dramatic way. Lady broke out into mock laughter.

"That's a good one, really classic. If I'd known you were coming to entertain me I would've kept more guns in the house."

"I'm serious! He always yells at me when I'm around, but you never noticed how he gets all quiet when you come around? The way he bows when you enter a room, stands at the table when you get up..."

"No, that just means your brother has manners unlike YOU." Lady replied uninterestedly.

"He's my brother, and I KNOW him well enough to know something just ain't right there. So what do you say? Help me out?" He gave her what she guessed was his "puppy eyes", but it looked more comical than anything.

"Nope, sorry." She continued to polish Kalina Ann. Dante stared at her over his arms, half glaring, half thoughtful. Dante watched her from over his forearm for a long moment, and then...

"I'll sell your underwear on eBay again." He grinned as she looked up from her work to glare at him. Because he HAD done it before.

"You're bluffing." She growled.

"Try me...

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Lady stood looking at the white double doors before her with Dante standing to her left. She glared at his back as he moved forward to knock on the doors and when he caught her gaze he only gave her a cocky grin in return.

"I can't do this." She said flatly, turning on her heels to leave. Dante grabbed her arm.

"I see London, I see France..." Dante murmured to her. "I'll sell Lady's underpants."

She pushed his hand off of her and gave him a searing look. She put her hand on the gun at her side, but Dante only shook his head at her as if to say. "That won't stop me." She let her arm fall and instead concentrated on the door before her. There was a faint sound of shoes on wood that grew louder.

"Who is it?" A calm voice asked from inside.

"It's Dante!" He called back through. Without a moments hesitation she heard what she thought was the door unlocking. After a few minutes of it not opening Dante tried turning the doorknob only to find... "The bastard LOCKED it!" He exclaimed, kicking the door with his foot. "C'mon Vergil! Open up!"

"I don't think so." Vergil's voice replied calmly, as if he were standing against the door. "There is still the matter of a $300 bill you owe me."

"What? I don't owe you anything!"

"A line of credit taken out UNDER my name at Antonio's. Not only for pizza, but when they refused to deliver until you paid up you added exorbitant tips onto it so the pizza boys would deliver them."

"Oh" Dante said thickly. "That... I'll pay you Tuesday."

"That's what you told the pizza boy." Vergil replied.

Lady was in a fit of laughter at the look on Dante's face, and thoroughly enjoying someone finally picking on him after all the hell he'd caused her. She would definitely pick up something for Vergil as a thank you later.

"Quiet you!" Dante spat at her. He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out some money. "Ok Verge, here's $50 for now. It's all I have."

"No it's not, he keeps a stash in his boots." Lady called out. Dante tried to cover her mouth, but the most he was able to do was catch her around the middle as she giggled with glee. The front door opened though, and she saw Vergil standing in the doorway.

"It's not polite to manhandle women in public Dante." Vergil said coolly, putting a hand out for his money. Dante handed him the fifty. "And the boots." Dante growled, glaring at them both before emptying his boot of its contents. "The other one too Dante."

"C'mon! A man's gotta eat!" Dante protested.

"Lady, go warm yourself by the fire." Vergil said, never looking from Dante. Lady stepped around him, making movements to accentuate how warm it was inside. Dante was standing in one boot and it was getting colder now that the sun had almost gone.

"OK!" He pulled off his other boot and handed over the remainder of his stash to Vergil.

"Good, but you're still coming up _short_" Vergil said, clearly taller now that Dante was out of his boots and one step down from Vergil.

"Tuesday man, now can I please come in?" He asked, teeth chattering as he tried to put his boots back on. Vergil didn't answer, only stepped aside to allow him in.

Dante walked in and noticed Lady was sitting comfortably on Vergil's couch, a roaring fire illuminating her profile. The coffee table in front of her had a delicate cup of tea that was still steaming, and a partially folded new paper.

"Anything good in there?" Dante asked, sitting down and pulling the paper open. He skipped to the comic's page, but barely got a look before Vergil snatched it from his fingers.

"The usual. Death, tragedy, and the 108th birthday of Maybelle Clint, who says she's going for the record." Vergil said dryly, setting the paper down again. He took up the tea and sipped it uninterestedly.

"So, wanna order pizza?" Dante asked.

"Lady, would you like something to drink?" Vergil asked, ignoring him.

"Uh, sure." Lady answered, grinning when Dante rolled his eyes at her. Vergil set his cup down and disappeared out into the hallway.

"You know, you could've worn something nicer." He said disapprovingly at her jeans and tank top.

"What does my clothing have to do with anything?" Lady snapped back at him.

"I told you, he's got a thing for you. You should've worn something tighter and shorter." He was eyeing her closely and it made her uncomfortable. "Make up couldn't hurt either." She glared at him, her temper rising.

"This is bull, you know that? You are such a thick headed jerk! I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Lady stood up and started for the front door. What was she thinking? Coming here and allowing Dante to insult her. So what if she wasn't all girly, why would she want to be? Hunter's didn't need to be beautiful, or overly feminine. She knew her worth lay far deeper than that of outward appearences. Not to mention this stupid idea of his! Vergil didn't think of anyone in _that _way, especially a human woman like her. It was another one of Dante's games, and she didn't want to play anymore. Underwear be damned!

As she crossed towards the hallway Vergil came around the corner. He startled as she almost crashed into him, and next thing she knew hot tea was all down her front. She jumped back, pulling the searing fabric from herself. _Just great!_ _This is what I get for being around Dante. _

"Watch it!" She yelped, stepping away from Vergil. Her skin turned a violent red, but luckily for her the water wasn't so hot as to need a doctor. It hurt though, especially when she made to move any part connected to her upper torso. Her skin tightened and seered with more pain. _Great, I have an indoor sunburn. _She groaned inwardly. Vergil just stared down at her, mild interest with what could've been seen as slight concern mixed in.

Dante though, was laughing his head off. Lady turned, having had enough, pulling her gun from her holster and pointed it at Dante. Before she could pull the trigger however, she felt Vergil take her hand from behind.

"No shooting in my home." He said calmly over her shoulder, his hand partially over hers as well as the gun in her hand. Lady was momentarily aware of just how close he was to her back. They were practically molded together for a moment. She felt a slight warmth creep into her cheeks as she pushed Vergil back, taking several steps forward herself. She turned to face him, an accusatory look on her face.

Vergil lifted an eyebrow at her mistrusting eyes. "Come. I have a first aid kit in the bathroom." His face was unreadable, but she only shook her head.

"I'll be fine." She turned her face away, wondering what the hell was wrong with her. It was all Dante's fault, for putting that crazy idea in he head. That was it, so now she was all nervous about him.

"If it makes you feel better, I could go with you instead of Vergil." Dante grinned. She noticed that wolfish smirk on his face as he examined the wet shirt with his eyes, which now clung to her.

"Burn in hell." She hissed at him before walking out into the hallway. "Come on Vergil." She lightly touched his sleeve as she walked by, knowing better than to grab a hold of someone like Vergil. He didn't like to be touched, anyone could see that.

Dante watched as Vergil gave him one last baleful look, before turning the corner, and walking out of sight. Dante sank down into the sofa, setting his feet up on the coffee table with a broad smile on his face. Everything was going according to plan.


	2. Ghosts

**Chapter 2! This story has been a lot of fun for me to write, so I'm glad you guys are enjoying it too! Thanks again for all the reviews, because it definitely helps in making the chapters come along quicker. I tried to stick with the funny formula in this chapter, but it gets a bit serious at times. The Dante/Vergil scene and the end of this chapter should make up for it in terms of laughter. **

**So you know what this means...want chapter 3? R&R:D Enjoy!**

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**Nothing but Trouble**

**Chapter 2**

Lady suddenly missed the warmth of downstairs as she ascended the stairs with Vergil. She wondered why she'd even asked him to come along in the first place. _It's Dante's fault_. Of course it was. She had only asked Vergil to accompany her in the frantic moment when Dante had suggested he should go with her. It had flustered her, and in retaliation she had asked Vergil instead. Somehow she felt threatened by Vergil walking behind her, and she didn't really understand why. After all, Vergil was always the one who stood quietly and rarely reacted to anything. She had gotten so use to seeing him as "part of the scenery" that she didn't know how to feel about him.

The feeling of him taking her hand though, and standing against her back made her midsection fall out. It was all psychological. A feeling bred from Dante's crazy imagination, now growing somewhere deep within her. She should have learned by now to take everything Dante said with a grain of salt.

"Are you all right?"

Lady jumped slightly at the voice suddenly cutting through her thoughts. Her eyes unfogged, and she realized she had stopped with one leg on the next step. She turned slightly to see Vergil looking up at her, one silver brow slightly raised. He held a candle in his hand, but she didn't remember when he had gotten it.

"Uhhh, yeah." She replied awkwardly, turning back and taking the rest of the steps two at a time. Vergil did not hurry to catch up, taking the stairs slowly enough that he almost seemed to glide upwards. She only pressed on, reaching a hand out gingerly to find a light switch. When she found it she flipped it upwards, but nothing happened. "Your light is broken. Just great." She sighed as Vergil came to stand beside her.

"No, I just don't have electricity." He replied moving past her. Lady watched his back with a dumbfounded expression. _No electricity?_ It was then she thought of the few times she had been here, mostly confined to the living room which always seemed to be lit by the fireplace. Then the candle in his hand began to make sense, and she walked quickly towards him as the light faded the further away he moved.

Lady had been all over the world, to demonic realms, and the darkest of places in her pursuit of evil. Yet, she couldn't remember feeling as apprehensive as she did walking behind Vergil. The candle lit across old and dusty pictures on the wall. None of whom appeared to be a relative of his.

"What's with all the photos?" She asked gazing at one of a kindly looking man surrounded by what she guessed was his family.

"Hmm? Oh." Vergil replied, holding the candle up to look at them. "I'd never really noticed them before." He said, but he did not continue, only stared at the picture. Lady looked at the back of his head, and wondered if he'd heard her question at all. She was beginning to feel irritated. "They came with the house." He said finally, as if feeling her glare on his back.

"But you didn't take them down?" She asked, liking the sound of their voices better than the dark silence.

"They're not mine to remove. Everything I require is downstairs, and only on occasion do I venture up here." He turned to look at her out of the corner of his eye, and she noticed a small smirk on his face. "This place belongs to the ghosts. I have no right to interfere." Lady blinked at him.

"Ghosts?" She asked steeling her tone against the glimmer of playfulness buried in his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You fight the things most people don't believe exist, and yet you mock the idea of ghosts? Who's to say there is no life after death?"

Lady blushed, realizing that this was a perfectly good line of thinking considering all she had seen in her lifetime. But ghosts were not one of them. She didn't want to think there could be an afterlife on this earth. Her mom always told her if you were good you would go to heaven. In the dark years since her mother's death she clung to that hope of something better than blood, violence, and vengeance. The idea of getting stuck on this earth was more frightening to her than the thought of any demon or ghost. Her own personal hell…

"So." She said conversationally. "Have you seen these ghosts?" He watched her for a moment, and she noticed the flickering of the candle casting shadows across his profile. For a moment his eyes looked silver, rather than blue.

"Occasionally" He replied, turning to point to the framed photo he had been examining. "This one." Lady stepped forward to gaze into the portrait of a young girl. It was a sepia tainted photo, covered with dust. The girl had probably been 11 or 12 when the photo was taken. She was fair skinned, with dark ringlets framing her face. Wide eyes stared back at them innocently.

"She's cute." Lady remarked, noting the cherub like quality of her face structure.

"She's a demon." Vergil interjected.

"I thought you said she's a ghost?" Lady asked, confused.

"Oh, she is. When I originally moved in I used the upstairs as regularly as the down. Hence why there are still some of my belongings up here." Vergil pointed towards a door at the end of the hall. "That use to be my room before I moved everything downstairs."

"What happened?" Lady asked, suddenly interested.

"I use to wake to small things. Someone pulling at my toe, my blankets being pulled off. Sleep depravation has always been a problem of mine, but they were even worse when I slept up here." He frowned at Lady as she stifled a laugh at what had been done to him by the little girl. "Eventually I decided to remove myself from her devious little grasp. It only made things worse."

"Worse? How?"

"She's been crying ever since I moved downstairs." He said thoughtfully, examining the photo more closely. "Sometimes when the house is still she calls my name, and begs me to come back up."

"That's sad. Why don't you?" Lady asked. He turned and gave her a pointed look.

"Spirits connect themselves to the living. Sometimes in worse ways than just emotional attachments."

"You don't think she'd hurt you, do you?" Lady pressed, suddenly taking a look around. The image of a gothic little girl, with black holes for eyes, running at her with a knife popped into her mind. Vergil only gave a half-hearted laugh.

"I seriously doubt it even if that were her intentions." He answered. "I just don't want to be bothered with it. After all, she is confined up here for some unknown reason, and I intend to keep it that way." He finished, turning from the picture and continuing down the hall. Lady followed, unable to take her eyes off the young girl as she walked by. The eyes seemed to follow not her, but Vergil as they passed it. Even Lady found this very odd, because wasn't it usually the other way around?

"So, if you have no electricity, how exactly did you heat the tea?" She asked.

He opened the door next to what use to be his room. He pushed it open and walked in, setting the candle down on the counter. He turned on the tap, filled a small glass of water, which he then held up for her to see. Within a few seconds of him holding it steam began to rise from it. Lady blinked at him.

"Wow. That must come in handy." She said, noting that this must've been why he had returned to the living room so quickly.

"It has its perks. As a hunter you can't always be guaranteed a roof over your head. This has made my outdoor stays bearable." He emptied the cup and moved further into the bathroom. Lady followed after him and looked around. The candle was giving off an eerie glow that reminded Lady of the games of her childhood. Light a candle and say the name into the mirror five, or twenty, or one hundred times for a good scare. She saw her own reflection as she entered, and wondered if they would see anything.

"What did you do before you figured that trick out?" She asked absentmindedly as she looked around. Silence followed her words, and when she went to look at Vergil he was scowling towards the wall. As if he really didn't want to think of himself before he came into his powers. "Sorry." She said, not really knowing why she said it. Vergil nodded in recognition of it and turned from her.

He opened up a closet set in the wall halfway up from the floor. His form cast shadows on the opposite side of wall, and his spiked hair made his shadow look wolfish. As if the monster were leaning over to watch and eventually pounce on its prey. Lady shook her head. _Stop with the horror flick thoughts._

"I can take it from here." She said as Vergil pulled the first aid kit out. She reached her arms out to take the kit and felt the pain as her skin pulled tightly. She pulled them back with a slight flinch.

"Come here." Vergil said, sighing as he laid the kit open and began digging through it.

"Y-you can't do it!" She protested, eyes widening. Did he not realize the exact area he had gotten her with? Definitely not a place she would just allow him or any man near.

"Would you prefer I got Dante?" He asked, the corner of his mouth twitching. Lady raised an eyebrow at him in a threatening way. "Now, you are going to be feeling the effects of this for a bit, especially when you try to use your arms. The best remedy is to get aloe on it quickly and covered. If you wish to work on your upper torso then I will leave you to it. However, you did get some on your neck and shoulder area that you will have trouble seeing in this lighting. My eyesight is much better than yours in the dark." He said reasonably. Lady eyed him cautiously, her eyes mistrusting. Vergil had never shown himself to be a pervert like Dante, but that wouldn't matter. Lady had never allowed anyone to even hold her hand before, so this was an invasion she wasn't looking forward to. She was thankful for the dim lighting, because she didn't want to see the crimson in her cheeks as she turned by the mirror.

Vergil didn't push, only stood in wait for her response. She wondered if he even considered what it was he was asking her to allow him to do. She glared at the wall, her mind taking in her options. She had been burned before to this degree, but that time it hadn't been an accident. The result was almost a week of not being able to lay on her back, and a screaming pain in every inch of her skin when she moved. It was amazing how something that seemed so small could hurt so much. No scarring, no danger, just a red burn on her upper shoulders and part of her mid back. She eventually went in to a doctor, afraid something was wrong, only to find if she had treated it properly that she wouldn't have had to agonize as long as she did. Now here she was again, but this time it wasn't ignorance that held her cure at bay, but a sense of self preservation in the presence of Vergil. She knew nothing about him, and that felt dangerous.

Finally she put a hand out and Vergil handed her the small aloe bottle. He walked back towards the door as she moved further in to look around. "If you need me I'll be outside." He said simply. Lady nodded, watching him leave. As the door closed she saw him looking in at her reflection, he paused for a brief moment when he caught her gaze before closing the door completely.

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Dante was sitting on the couch, bored out of his mind. No TV, no music, not even a video game console for him to occupy his mind with. Just a bunch of... _books. Ew..._ Vergil was such a dud he often wondered if his brother had joined a monastery in the time they were apart. He had tried to convince Vergil into moving with him, starting a business together, but to no avail.

"We'd kill each other." Vergil had replied to the idea.

"And how exactly is that different from the rest of our lives?" Dante asked, putting his foot up on the coffee table. Vergil glowered at his boots, and then kicked them off with a foot. "C'mon Vergil! It'll be fun. We can train together, go bar hopping, and we can hire a cute receptionist to run around in cute outfits."

"...and answer the phones of course." Vergil added.

"Oh yeah, that too I guess." Dante said thoughtfully. "She can call me Mr. Dante." He added with a wide grin. Vergil only rolled his eyes at him. No matter how much he'd brought it up the conversation had always ended there. Dante didn't want to admit it out loud, but he was lonely. It didn't help that Lady kept disappearing on him either. The only two people he could go on and on to were keeping him at a distance and it was rubbing on his nerves.

Then a few weeks back Dante had managed to capture a rare moment. Vergil actually agreed to go out to a bar with him, and Dante had managed to get him drunk. He smiled wickedly at this thought, because he had never been able to do this before. Vergil either didn't notice or didn't care that his glass kept being miraculously filled whenever he came back to the table.

In the end Dante had been left to carry home an uncharacteristically giggling Vergil, two arms slung around Dante's neck as he tried to carry his brother's weight.

"You're getting fat." Dante growled.

"Fiddlesticks." Vergil said in a light tone.

"Did you just say fiddlesticks?" Dante asked, stopping to look at his twin. Vergil's eyes grew sober for a moment.

"Damn, I think I did." He said quietly.

"At least you didn't say poppycock." Suddenly Vergil broke out into boisterous laughter.

"Y-you said... p-p-p, ahahahaaha!"

Dante laughed under his breath, not knowing yet whether or not this was a good idea. He had pushed open the door to his latest place and pulled Vergil to the couch. Vergil didn't let go as Dante went to plant him on the sofa, and so Dante came crashing down with him. "Jezzush, who's the fat one?" Vergil spat, trying to get Dante off him. Dante only sat hard on his stomach for good measure before getting up.

"You stay here." Dante said.

"Where am I going to go?" Vergil asked, half his body falling off the couch. Dante watched for a moment as Vergil's hand found an empty tin can next to his hand, which he lifted up for closer inspection before tossing it across the room. It flew through the living room window, a loud bag was heard, and then a car alarm. "Oops!" Vergil snickered.

By the time Dante had gotten back with water for him, Vergil was partially out of it.

"Drink some of this you lush." Dante tipped the glass to allow Vergil to drink it, but he almost choked on it.

"Damn, you're trying to kill me aren't you?" Vergil asked.

"Naw, it would be too easy with you this drunk. Where's the challenge in that? Besides, my satisfaction will come when you have your first hangover." Vergil lay quiet, his eyes closed, breathing heavily. Dante shook his head and set about taking his boots off. "You can crash here tonight. You know Verge; if you lived with me you wouldn't have to worry about crashing here. This could be your home."

"Mmmhhhmm" Vergil sounded in a long sigh. He opened his mouth wide and yawned. Dante wondered if convincing Vergil to move in while he was drunk would make it legitimate. After all, Vergil never went back on promises made, so what if it were made drunk? Before he could say anything though Vergil spoke.

"Dante?" He asked in a breathy tone.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Mary?" Dante looked at Vergil with a surprised look.

"I wouldn't call her that to her face if I were you unless you have a death wish. Anyway, she's not here tonight."

"Too bad." Vergil's eyes opened, still glazed over from drinking, slightly red in the corners. He set his forearm to rest against his forehead.

"Why's that too bad? You got a thing for her?" Dante grinned. _Pay dirt!_

Vergil didn't respond, only continued to stare up at the ceiling. Opening and closing his eyes as if ready but unwilling to sleep.

"Does she hate all demons?" He asked, after a long moment of silence.

"No, you know we fall into the exceptions category now." Dante responded unlacing Vergil's other boot and beginning to tug on it.

"Even after what Sparda did to her mother?" Vergil glanced down at his brother, and Dante was suddenly reminded of what Arkham had said all those years ago.

_"He sacrificed two things to suppress the tremendous force of this tower... His own devil's blood and a mortal priestess. I needed you Mary, in whose body flows the same blood as the sacrificed woman."_

"Dude, that was a million years ago. If she were still pissed I'd wager we would be in for a world of hurt." Dante replied with a smirk. "You're lucky she hasn't shot you yet. Hurts like a bitch!"

"It's a punishment I would be willing to take." Vergil sighed. "Sometimes I envy you."

"Ok, seriously dude, you're scaring me." Dante quickly put a hand to Vergil's forehead. Vergil knocked it away with his hand. "How can you envy me, we're the same you moron." Dante smacked his head in a playful way. "Duh."

"No, we're not." Vergil replied quietly. "I don't have your ability to talk well with others."

"Speak well, you mean?" Dante asked with a grin.

"I'm drunk, lay off." Vergil snapped at him. "Then again, it's not so much a talent in your case as an annoyance." He added peevishly.

"There's my brother." Dante cooed in a motherly tone. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and flung it over Vergil. "You know, if you want to talk to Lady you should just try it sometime. You'll find she's just as lost as you are in that department. You both speak in violence fluently."

Vergil just lay there, looking at the ceiling again. Dante had taken the moment to get a pot from the kitchen. Vergil had raised an eyebrow when he set it next to him.

"What's that for?" Vergil asked.

"Trust me; you're going to need it." Dante smiled. "Good thing you don't eat very much, it's the biggest one I have." Vergil just stared at him, not quite comprehending the concept, but Dante knew he would before the night was over. "Now, go to sleep you old prude." He hit the light and headed for the stairs when he heard his brothers voice.

"Dante?" Vergil asked.

"I'm not reading you a bed time story." When Vergil didn't laugh Dante continued. "What is it?"

"Can you do me a favor?" Vergil asked.

----------

Lady stood and looked herself over in the mirror. Vergil had been right about being hard to see herself in the dimness of the candle light. However, she could feel where everything up front was. It only took a single brush of her hand to feel exactly where the burned area was. Luckily for her it had stayed away from more sensitive areas due to her quick thinking of pulling the shirt away from her. But her upper chest, collarbone area, and a way up and over her shoulders were warm and raw.

She opened the aloe bottle and set to work.

She discarded the shirt to the floor, and focused entirely on the mirror. Even with the pain she was experiencing she could not get two things out of her head. One was what Dante had said about her appearance, and the other was the look on Vergil's face as he left her there.

She had never been one to care what others thought about her, or at least had been good at hiding that fact. Her insecurities were something she dealt with in private. If she could've known any truth in her boyishness it had stemmed from her lack of male figures in her life. Also, she never felt normal due to the unique eyes her father had given her. She hated them, because she had always wanted to be the beauty her mother was. Instead she was given the one feature she would've cut out her own eyes to forget.

All her life she had scared off anyone remotely interested in dating her, but also her life left no room for romance. So she had abandoned make up, dresses, and fairy tale thoughts when her mother died. Took up war paint, holsters, and carnage instead. She loved her guns in replacement of boys. Yet, in the lonely hours of the night she couldn't help but briefly wonder what it would be like to come undone. To expose herself completely, abandoning all reason for the touch of another. With these thoughts also came her insecurities of her own ability to be beautiful. Dante's comments did not help.

Lady studied her face in the mirror hopelessly. Her mother had always told her she would grow to be a beautiful woman, but now she was scarred and rough skinned from years of fighting. Her home closet was filled with weaponry, rather than dresses and her old jewelry box held extra ammunition.

Dante had hit on her more times than she could remember, but she knew it was playful perversion. He didn't think of any one woman in a respectful manner, and he only enjoyed toying with her because she was one of few to tell him no. Despite this they had somehow managed to bond from time to time. The Dante who didn't flirt shamelessly wasn't half bad, and could be good for a laugh. A brotherly figure in some way.

Then there was Vergil. Her face suddenly flushed as she remembered she was standing topless in his bathroom. She looked towards the door and wondered if he were standing just on the other side. A shiver went through her, and she pinched herself in punishment for it. She remembered the first time she saw Vergil, and he had never really been any less cold to her since. So why was she feeling so off about him now?

She shook her head, and finished putting on the aloe before turning to pick up her shirt. She would let Vergil take care of the spots missed on her shoulders in the safety of her clothing. As she moved to pick up her shirt she stopped frozen in her place. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub was a young girl. Her head was down, dark curls framing the face that was not yet visible. Lady stood rigid, staring down at the little girl. Then the girls head began to slowly rise, and suddenly Lady didn't want to see her face. She began edging for the door, stepping slowly backwards until her hand found the doorknob. It was too late though, she let out a scream as she girl looked at her with bloody, hollow eye sockets.

Lady turned at full speed for the door. She opened it and collided with Vergil who was coming to see what was wrong. The two toppled out into the dark hallway, both falling to the floor with a loud thud.

"What's going on?" Vergil asked in a partial gasp as his body smacked down into hers.

"Ghost." She said shakily, turning to look over his arm back into the bathroom. She noticed there was no sign of the little girl anywhere now.

"Oh." Vergil said, but there was something off about it. Lady turned to look up at him. It was dark without the candle, but some light spilled into the hallway. It took her a moment to register the raw feeling of fabric against her bare skin and she met Vergil's eyes as she realized she hadn't put her shirt back on yet. The look in his eyes was unreadable in the dark, but she could almost feel his eyes boring into her own. Warmth spread through her. First instinct would have been to flee, to lash out in humiliation for this, but she couldn't move. At present her bare breasts were being hidden by the weight of his chest, and to move would afford him the kind of sight Dante would kill to see.

"Um." She said in a wavering tone. She could feel his breath on her face, so she looked away to inspect the bathroom again, which only made things worse as she felt it on her ear instead.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, and began to move away from her. With only the thought of shielding herself from his eyes Lady put her arms around his mid section and held him against her. Normally she wasn't so brazen, but it was either this humiliation or the one of him seeing her nude from the neck down. She felt she could deal with this one much more easily.

"Could you please close your eyes?" She said meekly, hating the sound of her own voice. Vergil remained quiet, and unmoved. "I can't let you go until you close your eyes." She repeated, noticing with shame how different it felt to be holding someone. It almost felt natural... Too natural.

It took her a second to register that there were heavy footfalls coming up the stairs, and that with them came an evil light that took away the comfort of the darkness that had cloaked her. It laid her out bare on the carpet, and soon she could see Vergil's face very clearly. It looked momentarily sad, confused, and somehow…warm. Then Vergil was looking up at something out of Lady's line of sight. She titled her head backwards and saw a figure approaching upside down.

"What hap...Wow..." Dante said, cutting himself off as he gawked at the two. "Bro, I didn't know you had it in you."

* * *

**Bahahahaha, poor Lady! Until chapter 3!**

**P.S. Special thanks to Chrome for inspiring the drunken Vergil section:)**


	3. Whispers in the Dark

**I know, I know! This chapter was long coming...lol I got really stuck partway through, and I've been really BAD and am working on two additional stories. A new story called "Obsession" and another untitled one.**

**This chapter is a lot more serious than the others, but only because it involves Lady and Vergil. I can't see her being the same way with him as she is with Dante...lol I do promise though that the next chapter will be brimming with humor/Dante mischief... Which I enjoy far more than anything else! Bwahahaha.**

* * *

**Nothing but Trouble**

**Chapter 3**

Dante stared down at the two, his smile widening as he noticed the swell of Lady's chest tightening to his brothers.

"I leave you alone for a few minutes..." Dante teased.

"It's not what it looks like!" Lady finally said, finding her voice. At this Vergil began to pull back from her again. "No!" She yelled, wrapping her arms about him in a vice like grip. It forced Vergil back down, his face snug to her shoulder. "He'll see me." She whispered desperately in Vergil's ear.

"It isn't, eh?" Dante chuckled. Lady felt the frustration of it all seeping into her face. Of all the people to find her like this. He would never let it slide, and she would have to relive this moment over and over with him. She closed her eyes, imagining herself in a different place.

"Dante, go downstairs." She suddenly felt Vergil's voice vibrating in her own chest. A low rumble of warning in it.

"Not until you get off of her, I have an obligation to see there is no hanky panky g..."

"GO!" Vergil growled forcefully at Dante. The sound in his voice not half as commanding as the look on his face. The tone would've scared her if it had not been directed at Dante.

"Whoa, chill out." He said, throwing his hands up. "You two deserve one another." He finished irritated as he turned to walk away. "No sense of humor what so ever." The light he brought with him faded until they were once again in the safety of the dim light from the bathroom. Everything was quiet, except the sound of Vergil breathing.

"Are you alright?" Vergil asked suddenly.

"Don't look at me." She said softly, just wanting to be invisible. This was a nightmare that she couldn't wake from.

"I'm going to move slightly."

"No!" She protested.

"Lady, I won't look." He said stubbornly, pulling up to leave a bit of breathing room between them. She watched him like a hawk, damn well making sure he wouldn't. She noticed though that he began to remove his shirt.

"Vergil!" She yelled, almost punching him on the shoulder. He caught her hand in his though.

"You won't let me get up to grab your shirt, so I'm giving you mine." He said, maneuvering his arms out of his shirt as to make sure their bare skin did not touch. He pulled his shirt in the gap between them to allow her cover. When she had secured it he pulled back, stood, and walked into the bathroom. Lady quickly shuffled into it when his back was turned.

She pulled it closed and looked up in time to see her own shirt come flying into her lap. "Thank you." She said quietly, unable to look at him. She had seen Dante bear chested enough times, his clothing being just that, but Vergil was always tightly clothed from head to toe. They were twins after all, so why did it matter? _Because Vergil doesn't look like Dante._ She stopped to mull over this contradictory thought.

"Come here, I'll finish up." Vergil called to her, but she looked at the bathroom apprehensively. That little girl was not the sheet covered ghost she always envisioned. It had looked grotesque in comparison to the girl in the photograph. Crying blood... "She's not in here anymore." He added.

Lady took a moment, stood, and walked into the bathroom. She looked in every corner, thinking she would see that face come flying at her again but nothing happened.

"I told you she was a demon." He said as she finally came to stand by him. "One of her favorite tricks is scaring people. With me it never worked, so she used annoyance instead."

"Her eyes were bleeding. It was nasty." Lady laughed quietly, trying to lighten the mood. She wished he would put something on to stop the warmth from spreading in her face.

"Well, the sooner we get downstairs the sooner you can forget about her." He said, eyeing her closely. "So let's do it shall we?"

Lady turned to look at him, her eyes going wide. "What?"

"Your burns. Did you get them all?" He asked, oblivious to her sudden mood change. How the hell could he be so calm after what just happened? How could he say _that _with a straight face? If it had been Dante she would've been done right then and there. _This proves it then_. Lady thought. Dante was wrong about Vergil, because any man would've taken advantage of the situation wouldn't he? She felt partially relieved, all while another part of her felt disappointed. After all, hadn't she just thought for something like this to happen? How much bearer could she lay herself out for another?

"No." Lady finally said. "I need help with the ones up on my shoulders." As she said it his hands came up and she flinched back from him. "What are you doing?" Vergil sighed, giving her an exasperated look.

"Listen. I am not my brother, and I have no intentions of forcing myself on you. But even you'll agree my powers do not extend to touching through bulky shirts." He said calmly. Lady remembered she wasn't wearing her tank top anymore, but Vergil's shirt.

"How are we?" She began, but he cut her off.

"Just lower the collar to your shoulders. It's big enough to cover the rest." He replied laying his hands out in a placating gesture. "If you prefer I can wear gloves."

"I didn't mean..."

"It's fine." He said, cutting her off. There was an awkward silence between them for a long moment. _Calm down, it's only Vergil. He didn't see you naked, so after this everything can go back to normal. _Lady took a deep breath and reached up to undo the top button of the shirt. She pulled it down a bit, but stopped when she realized she was facing him. She glanced up at him before turning around to finish.

She managed to pull the shirt down enough to expose her shoulders and a small portion of her upper back.

"Here." Vergil said, handing her two tablets.

"What are these?"

"Just regular ibuprofen. They should help a bit with the pain." He replied, tipping them into her hand.

"Where did you hear that?" She asked looking at them.

"WebMD" He replied as he got a glass of water for her. "You'd be surprised what human doctors can cure with this stuff. Now, turn to face me." Lady turned obediently around and leaned against the counter. "If it would be more comfortable you could sit. It may look old, but it's sturdy." Lady thought about it for a moment and wondered just how long this was going to take. She shook her head and sat down on the countertop.

Vergil moved forward, his hip brushing her knee as he came to stand before her. He examined her shoulders without touching her, his eyes almost glowing with the concentration in them. It gave Lady a rare chance to look at him up close.

"Do you always do that?" She asked him.

"What?" He asked all while continuing to look nowhere but her shoulder.

"Frown. I mean, it's almost to the point that you and Dante don't look alike." She replied. Vergil looked down at her as if contemplating his answer.

"I don't know what you mean. This is just what I look like."

Lady studied his face, not really knowing how to respond to that without insulting him. Dante was so carefree and open, and yet she had never heard Vergil laugh before. He even had darkness in his tone that Dante had duplicated only in times of great anger.

"Why, is there something wrong with how I look?" Vergil asked. Lady's eyes shot to his as she shook her head.

"No, no way! I was just noting how you seem to frown a lot, that's all." She said in an attempt to stop the look on his face. Vergil eyed her over his nose for a moment, then let his eyes fall to the bottle in his hands. _Real smart Lady_. She groaned inwardly. She had heard stories from Dante about how the two had been picked on as kids for the unnatural color of their hair and eyes, and it seemed a sore spot even for Dante. He would always laugh it off, saying things like

_"And now I can have any woman I want_." Anything to lighten the thought in his own mind, but what about Vergil? They had been each others only strength back in those days, the two against the world. What happened when they weren't there to comfort one another when a world ruled by looks showed no mercy?

"Look up." Vergil said, and Lady realized she had been staring at him. Instinctively she looked down instead, avoiding his eyes. He put the edge of his hand to her chin and raised it up but did not meet her gaze, only stared down at her neck and shoulders. "I'm surprised you got this much. Most humans wouldn't have noticed this much in the dark." She suddenly felt a cold sensation on her skin as he applied a good amount of lotion on her collarbone. He did not rub it in, which she was thankful for. Her skin was sensitive to warm friction, and she was pretty sure it would've hurt like hell if he had.

She hated the quiet, because her ears began to strain for every small sound. If ever she had to describe a "haunted house" then it would be the upstairs of Vergil's place. She could hear the creaking of it, wood settling here and there. Most of all she could hear a muffled static noise, much like one would hear if they had earplugs in. It was an annoying sound in her ears, and somehow she wished she could think of something to talk about.

"Vergil?" The voice came seemingly from nowhere, and Lady jumped at the sound. She hadn't been prepared to hear a third voice with the quiet. She looked around, but Vergil paid it no mind.

"Ignore her." Vergil said, cocking his head sideways as he moved his hand up to her neck.

"Is that?"

"It is, don't mind her." Vergil repeated, showing no fear as he gazed at her.

"Do you know who she is?" Lady asked curiously. Vergil stood back, looking at the floor thoughtfully.

"There were some things left behind, but I never went through them. This place was abandoned, no doubt due to the resident ghost, but it seems her family's things kept getting sold with it. Apparently it was never owned for long, and I currently hold the record for living here." Vergil looked amused as he said it.

"She doesn't bother you at all?" Lady asked, looking around as she heard someone whisper his name again.

"She tries, I'll give her that. I'm use to dealing with much more annoying people." As Vergil said it he pointed downward, as if pointing to Dante through the floor. Lady smirked at this.

"Has she ever talked to you? Other than calling your name of course."

"She told me her name sometime after I moved in. I once was told that names can be powerful things, especially in the spirit realm. So I figured it would be a good thing to know. Other than that I didn't really bother to ask."

"What was her name?" Lady asked. Vergil didn't meet her eye, but turned to look towards the door.

"I'm not sure I should tell you, at least while you're armed." Vergil said with a secretive smirk playing in his eyes. He had turned back and was eyeing the gun she had placed on the counter when she disrobed. "You may not believe me." Lady rolled her eyes at him.

"Just tell me." She said in an annoyed tone. "You started it, you can't just leave it there." She actually crossed her arms and her legs in a manner that seeped with attitude. Vergil stepped backwards, as not to get clipped by her foot. He put his hands up and closed his eyes.

"Don't say I didn't warn you… Her name is Mary." The left side of his mouth hitched up when she glared at him. For all she knew he probably was telling her the truth, but somehow that name always made her stomach fall out and her skin crawl. It was an instinctive move she couldn't have helped. "It's a frequently used name, considering some of religious connection and all. Although, for this one Mary does not suit her."

"Why's that?"

"When I think of a Mary…" He said slowly, leaning in to place a smudge of lotion just below her ear. "…I think of a sweet, and innocent lady."

She lifted an eyebrow at this. Lady found it in most women's mind to misconstrue things men said, a failing she had always tried to avoid. But the fact he said not only Mary, but Lady too made her wonder if he was playing with her.

Vergil moved forward again to continue, but stopped briefly to look down at her crossed legs. He cleared his throat and Lady just stared at him, not quite getting it.

"If you would sit the way you were before I would feel in less danger of your knee introducing itself to my groin area." He finally said. Lady looked down and realized that if he had wanted to come any closer, he couldn't do so with her knee jutting out.

"Damn, my knee has met so many now I was hoping to add one more to the list." She said playfully. _Serves you right for the Mary comment._ He only looked at her in a bored way, so she uncrossed them with a sigh and allowed him to stand close again.

They worked in semi silence, all the while Lady tried to concentrate on anything but the strangeness of their current situation. For all the years she had known the twins, she really didn't know anything about them. Then again, she had never really asked. Dante was good at skirting the questions he didn't want to answer, where as Vergil gave nothing away. Sitting in front of him this way made her wonder about him. Little things that could be very personal...

She watched as he gently touched an old scar of hers, one of many she had received during her years as a huntress. Vergil too had scars, very small, but in the candlelight they were shadowed against his skin. She had always considered her own to be a map of her life, each one with its own story. She couldn't help but wonder what his could tell her.

"Alright, turn around now." He said stepping back. Lady got down from the counter, turned, and then leaned forward a bit. She watched Vergil over her shoulder in the mirror.

"What's this?" He suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You have an older burn on your back."

Lady's stomach gave a twinge and she pulled the shirt back up. How could she have forgotten about that? Vergil watched her in the mirror, and her eyes wavered to the floor.

"We should probably go back downstairs. I can try..." She began, but Vergil cut her off.

"You don't have to tell me about it, but you know as well as I do that you won't be able to get back there without help." He put a hand up on her shoulder. Lady let go of the shirt and allowed him to pull it back down.

Her shoulder twitched as he set to work and Lady lowered her head.

"I was twelve." She said. "It was the night my mother was taken away. I tried to help her. Funny right? But then I believed I could've. I ran at one of the men who came to take her, and got a good bite into his arm before he tossed me off." Lady leaned forward a little more. "I think I hit the heater, but I must've blacked out from the force. When I woke up, she was gone." Despite her vow, Lady could feel the prickling of tears. _Geez_... How long had it been since she'd thought about that night?

Her life with her mother had been chaotic. They moved constantly, for a reason she never knew until much later. It had caused some tension between her and her mother, because she longed for a normal life. Despite the hard times, she also had plenty of good memories of her mother. Lady had always wanted to be like her mom, and somehow she had gotten her wish. Constantly moving from place to place, except she had no one. _No one?_

"Don't cry." Vergil said. Lady looked up and realized that she was. Her face didn't look in pain, but the tears came silently down without any urging from her. Her eyes flicked from her own vision to Vergil who looked at her with darkened eyes. Lady faked a laugh as she wiped the tears away.

"Stupid burns, they're just hurting." She said quickly. "I'm such a girl sometimes."

"Don't be ashamed."

Lady looked up at him in the reflection. "I'm not ashamed."

"You're only human." He continued. She opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again.

"And you hate that right?" She asked testily.

"Hate is pointless human emotion. It serves no purpose other than self destruction."

"You're one to talk."

"I have never _hated _anything. I just have an opinion on whom I do and do not wish to associate with. If I did not wish to associate with you then you would not be here now would you?" His tone was cold and she suddenly wanted to be downstairs with Dante. Which considering the day he had planned out for her was a pretty desperate thought. It went quiet again, not even the sound of the little girl could be heard anymore. Lady's mind was seething with things she'd love to say to Vergil in response to his comment, but now she was focused on getting out of here. She'd punch Dante on the way out and move so far away neither of them could ever find her again.

"I apologize." It was so quiet that she wasn't sure if she had heard him right. Lady looked up into the mirror and he was watching her, no longer working on her shoulders.

"For what?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Your mother." He replied. "I know what it's like to lose both parents."

"You don't need to apologize, you didn't kill her." Mary said waving her hand dismissively.

"Our father..." Vergil whispered, his eyes lowering to his hands.

"Vergil, don't." Lady said cutting him off. She turned around to look at him and she could see something in his face that was bothering her. "I don't blame you guys. Hell, if I did you'd be dead." She snorted. "Not an easy task, given my inability to kill Dante so far, but you get the idea. I left all of that behind in the tower with him." He studied her face so thoroughly she felt her cheeks flush. "C'mon Vergil, don't get all mushy on me." She laughed uncomfortably, making to punch his arm playfully. His quick reflex kicked in and he took hold of her wrist before she could even take a breath. _Right, the no touching thing. _"Sorry. Bad habit."

"You hit Dante quite a bit." He said, looking at her hand as he held it. "He seems to enjoy it."

"Yeah, well Dante is a perve."

"Yes... I think he does it because even negative attention is better than none at all..." His gaze wandered up to meet her own. It was almost bewitching to watch the firelight of the candle dancing in his eyes. Like mirrors reflecting a demonic dance around a fire. His eyes would not flicker behind it, as sure and confident as he watched her intently. "Perhaps he allows you to do it because he knows you find some joy in it and in turn he finds joy there. There are so many layers to consider."

She felt the sink hit her back and realized with a small sigh that she was stuck between it and him. For all the precautions she had taken her entire life, in that one quiet moment she could feel a need growing. She was suddenly aware that her mind was being clouded over by his scent, something she hadn't noticed in a long time. It was a mixture of soap, smoke from the fireplace, and some musk she couldn't place.

She recognized it and it reminded her of a job they had performed together. She had almost been killed when she was tossed over the side of a building. She was sure this was it, and hoped Dante and Vergil would make it out alive. Just when she had given in to the idea of death she felt something take hold of her waist. It had been Vergil to her surprise. He had fought off his demon and jumped after her. Dante later complained that he had to finish up himself, but Lady had punched him good and hard for it.

She wasn't in the mood to listen to Dante whine. Her mind had still been reeling from Vergil's act of... what? Kindness? Concern? She had never been sure, but it was the first and only time she had clung willingly to another person. Somehow taking a girlish delight in "being rescued". He had smelled the same way then, and due to her gratitude at the time this scent had been attached to a feeling of protection, safety, and warmth. She had never been close enough to him again to notice it, so the thought had faded.

Now though, she found herself leaning forward to remember that feeling of safety. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it when she'd ran into him in the hallway. Again, he had protected her without wanting anything in return. What had happened to him, and what was happening to her? Maybe... she could trust him after all.

"Are you alright Lady?" He asked, watching her as she leaned forward. He was giving her face a deep inspection, as if trying to analyze and rationalize her behavior. She could almost hear his thoughts... _The female of the species appears to be in heat, and is making a fool of herself in attempts to entice the male._

Lady broke out into a fit of laughter at this thought of Vergil standing in a lab coat, glasses, and using a projector in front of a class.

"I did give you the pain medicine, didn't I?" He asked looking at her strangely. He began looking at the bottle, but she put her hand on his.

"I'm fine, just a thought running through my head. Listen Vergil, you don't..." She paused though, not knowing if she should really ask him. "Never mind."

"What is it?"

"It's nothing, just Dante putting crazy ideas in my head." She said guiltily as she turned back towards the mirror. _I am such a ditz. _Even as she said it she was having trouble making out what she was seeing in the mirror. Her own reflection, but it wasn't... It was her mother, cut open at the throat with blood everywhere. It was on the tile behind them, the towels, and every inch of the bathroom. Then she saw him, standing behind her mother. Sparda was holding the long knife, a long snake like tongue licking the blade clean. Her stomach churned as she felt the hands at her sides.

"STOP IT!" She heard Vergil roar, breaking the image before her as if he had shattered the glass itself. He turned her around, taking the mirror from her vision as she heard the small giggle of a child. The candle blew out and they were left in darkness. The image was seared into her retinas, and no matter how many times she blinked it would not go away.

_thump thump thump..._

The sound was close, her ear was warm against his skin. She felt him wrap his arms about her and she gave in and followed suit. It wasn't the darkness that scared her, but the return of the light and what images might follow. If she kept a hold of him he could not relight the candle. The little girl had shown her the one thing she had feared, and that was the gruesome details of her mother's last breath. It was her only pain, the only thing she had in her past that could haunt her. It had seemed so real...

"Don't believe it." Vergil said just above her. "He may have been a devil, but he did not possess the mind to hurt and mutilate. Not when he cared so much for the safety of your world." Lady buried her face in his chest, willing the image to go away. Sparda had always been referred to as a protector of humans. He had fell in love with a human after all, had children with her. Somehow she always wanted to think of her mother's death as quick, painless, and peaceful. A Sparda who felt for the woman he had to kill in an attempt to save countless others. Who thought enough of her to allow her to die with dignity, possibly cradled in his arms so she didn't die alone.

A tear slid down Vergil's chest, seeping from the face she was trying so hard to bury. What a day indeed. If she had woken this morning knowing she'd be standing in a darkened room, being held by Vergil she might've committed herself before lunch.

"Lady." He said softly. She lifted her head up, trying to wipe away the evidence she'd left on his skin. She hoped he wouldn't mention this to Dante, as she was sure she was already in for a teasing when they left. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine. It was only an illusion right?" She turned her face upward and had the strangest feeling that he could see her. It was pitch black, and she couldn't even see him at all but she was sure that he was examining her face to see if she was lying. She may not have seen him, but she could feel his breath on her face and the hold she still had on him.

"Don't be afraid." He said softly, and she thought how odd it sounded. Not as if he was asking her to not be afraid because of the girl, but because of something else. But what? He was coming closer to her, his breath becoming heavier on her lips as he approached. She stood in awe of it for a moment and then...

...Dante screamed from downstairs.


	4. A Lady Scorned

**Another story comes to a close. This one is a lot shorter than most of my chapters. I try to make them at least 8 pages long, and this is only 5. Originally though this was meant to be 3 chapters long, so I split chapter 3 into two. Because I could so see you guys appreciated where I cut # 3...lmao 0:)**

**Again, I cannot thank you guys enough for all your advise and comments. This story did better than any of my other ones which makes me very happy. Not to mention I loved writing it. This chapter made me giggle with glee, because Dante is my primary target...lol He makes it so easy!**

**One last thing - I created an "Updates" section in my profile, so you guys can check there if I begin to lag on chapters to make sure I'm not dead. I also added a "Coming Soon" section that has ideas in progress that will most likely turn into stories. Should help us keep in touch a lot better.**

**R&R, and thanks again for all your support! **

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**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 4**

The contents of Vergil's fridge consisted of very little, and Dante felt a pang of annoyance at this. For as long as he'd known Vergil he was always too caught up with one thing or another to remember to eat anything. As kids Dante was always the one to pry Vergil away from tinkering, or reading when the table was set. Vergil had been uninterested in most every regular human need, and only did them when it was necessary to survive.

He slammed the fridge door bitterly, taking hold of the candle he'd been carrying around. His stomach growled loudly and he was wishing his mind would stop thinking of a pizza oozing with cheese…

"Ahhh, stop it!"

He wandered through the downstairs, unable to sit still. He was not the quiet type, and the silence down here was enough to drive him up the wall. He could hear slight footsteps above him, a murmur of conversation and it calmed him a bit. _Good_… He thought. For as much as he'd been lonely without Lady around, he often wondered if Vergil ever suffered from loneliness too. Dante tried to come around as much as possible, to Vergil's noticeable dislike, but Dante couldn't help but wonder if more wasn't needed. Then it had hit him. _Lady_…

She too was a prude, just like Vergil. The idea originally caught on a job the three had performed together. An abandoned building was holding up half breeds and Dante wanted to clear it out. They had little problems at first, but some had escaped to the roof. A great many of them had nowhere to run and so instinct combined with the will to survive had made them deadly opponents. Vergil and Dante had held their own, but Lady was human. Was she strong? Yes. Was she agile? Damn straight, but still human.

She had been tossed over the side of the building by one of them. Dante had tried to get to her, but a demon was bearing down on him. Vergil however seemed to have been playing with his prey. The minute he saw Lady go over he had ended three of them in a single swing of his blade and jumped off after her. Dante had never seen Vergil move so quickly, and so seriously.

What was even more telling was the way Lady had been looking at Vergil as Dante made it down to the street again. Lady wasn't the damsel type, and yet she did not put any objection to being held against Vergil like that. The same way Dante had tried unsuccessfully to hold her today. Her eyes were wide, fixated on Vergil, and she looked almost like a love struck child in its protectors arms. It didn't last long though, because the minute Vergil set her feet on the ground she had harped on Dante for complaining they'd left him behind to finish up.

It had only taken hold when Vergil had gotten drunk that night and actually began asking about Lady. Vergil, who was never curious about anything, was interested in knowing about her. Of course he was drunk at the time, and he had not brought it up since. He woke with a hang over the next morning and acted as if nothing had happened. It had been on Dante's mind though ever since.

Dante turned into the living room and sat down on the couch. He watched the candle flicker as he leaned back into his seat. He closed his eyes and stretched his limbs out.

"Vergil..."

The voice was barely a whisper as it echoed through the room. Dante immediately sat up and looked around. Everything was as it had been, with no signs of anyone. Maybe he had heard Lady saying Vergil's name from upstairs. It would explain how faint it was. Dante smirked. _Maybe they finally hit it off..._

He sat back again and laid his head against the back of the couch, his eyes looking towards the ceiling. His heart nearly jumped out of his throat as he saw a small child staring down at him with hollow eyes from above, crawling backwards. Dante jumped up, but she had vanished by the time he looked up again.

_Calm down, it's just the hunger messing with your head. _Even so, perhaps he should go to get Vergil, in case something was really happening. _Not that I'm scared or anything..._ Dante walked towards the hallway when he heard something. A faint laugh was coming from somewhere near the kitchen. Simple logic would tell him not to go looking. He'd seen enough horror movies to know better, but when he gazed down the long hallway he caught sight of something.

Tall, pale skinned, with long dark hair and grey eyes the young woman stared at him playfully. Dante felt a lump forming in his throat, trying hard to not give in to the temptation of it all.

"You won't trick me," he said defiantly. He turned to look toward the front door, where his weapons were currently hanging with his coat. If he could get to them then perhaps... He turned back to look at the woman and his mouth dropped. Not only was she now naked, but she was holding a pizza box in her hand. _God damn it all! _It surely wasn't real... but he could smell the pizza now mixing with her fragrant perfume. It was simply irresistible.

Dante walked like a zombie into the kitchen, towards the goddess and her offering of pizza. He barely heard the giggles of a small child as he neared. He focused his attention on the pizza. When he had come to stand near her she offered it forward to him and to his amazement it was warm to the touch. His stomach rumbled, and his mouth watered with anticipation._ Food at last. _As he went to taste it though he smelled something foul, and looked down in time to see the slice was not oozing with cheese, but puss. Dante dropped it with a cringe, taking a step backwards as he heard the kitchen door slam shut. He turned and tried the knob, but it was being held shut. He pushed and kicked it with all his strength, but it felt like it was made of titanium.

"Vergil," the woman whispered just next to his ear. Dante turned around and saw she was now face to face with him. Her skin no longer soft but deathly pale. Her beautiful features turning into that of a corpse as it got closer to him.

"No way I'm kissing you!" he yelled. He tried to push her away, but his hands went through her. "Really you're not my type. I like them breathing," he continued. For all his inability to touch her, she very easily held a ragged hand out and closed it around his neck. Dante's eyes widened as she grimaced at him.

"Vergil," she repeated in a seductive tone as she drew closer to his face. She was getting too close, and Dante knew if she kissed him he would be scarred for life. Forget the possibility that she was trying to kill him; he would've killed himself if it prevented being sexually assaulted by a ghost. Well... one that wasn't attractive. Dante did the one thing he never thought he'd do. He screamed for his brother.

At that moment the ghost's mouth clamped over his and he could feel her draining him, sucking the very energy from his body. He wanted to throw up as her decaying tongue prevented his from blocking hers. Talk about dueling tongues. Then something wonderful happened. Dante heard the footsteps just outside the door.

"Dante! Are you all right?" Vergil's voice asked. It sounded irritated, like he had somehow interrupted Vergil from doing something he had been eager to finish. Dante tried to speak, but it only came out as a moan. _I'm never gonna be right again. _He thought bitterly.

Someone was pounding on the door hard, and soon the door shook so hard it forced Dante to tumble forward as it was knocked in. Dante gasped for breath as the woman let go of him. They both fell forward and it was Lady's voice that brought him back to reality.

"I told you he was a pervert!" she almost seemed to laugh. Dante realized why he was having trouble regaining his breath. His face was buried in the dead woman's cleavage as he lay on top of her. He quickly backed up, wiping his arms, hands, tongue and face to no avail. He turned and saw Vergil standing beside Lady and felt like blurting out _"my hero!" _Then it occurred to him how strange that was, and it confirmed that he in fact would never be right again.

Vergil came to his side to help him up. Dante glanced over at where the woman was, and instead saw a small girl. The same girl who he'd seen on the ceiling. His skin crawled as he looked at her hollowed out eyes. He was reminded of _Village of the Damned._ Those creepy kids with their white hair and sharp blue eyes... _Hey, wait a second._

"Dante, did you take anything from upstairs?" Vergil's voice brought him away from this potential self insult.

"Uhhh, maybe? I dunno," he responded as the little girls eyes looked at the two of them confused. As if to determine which one was which.

"No time for this, did you or didn't you?" Vergil bellowed. Dante searched his mind. He hadn't been upstairs long enough to take anything. Then it hit him.

"The candle," he said, "I couldn't find another one down here, so I got that one from an alcove at the top of the steps."

At this the little girl grinned demonically, as if sensing her demise was close at hand. She moved forward from one side of the room to just in front of them in half a second. Dante jumped back to hide behind Vergil. Vergil sneered at him and pushed him away when he clasped onto his arm.

In the meantime Lady had grabbed the salt shaker off the counter and tossed some in the girls face. She cowered away with a hissing noise, her eyes flaring dangerously before she vanished into a darkened corner.

"Good thinking," Dante said impressed.

"Don't kiss up to me with those contaminated lips." Lady responded with a twinkle of enjoyment in her eyes.

_"_I _hate _you," he countered.

"The feeling is mutual," she replied.

"Enough!" Vergil growled. "Where did you leave the candle?"

Dante took off for the living room, walking through the hallway when someone grabbed his ankle. He fell forward onto his stomach, and turned in time to see the girls arm coming out of a grate near the floor. Her face was obscured by darkness, but her smile was unmistakable. Dante kicked out to get rid of her.

"A little help here!" Dante yelled as she began pulling at his pants. Lady actually stood back and watched as he was de-panced by a ghost. "LADY!"

"Ok, ok," she said with a smirk. Lady tossed the salt down at the small arm. It cowered back into the grate, its fingers scratching the floor as it seized up from the pain. Dante grabbed hold of his pants and tried to hide his boxers to no avail. Lady broke out into a fit of laughter as she read across the crotch. "Master of Uranus?!" On the butt it said _I got your back._

Vergil eyed him warily as Dante's face flushed. "Ha ha ha, very funny. Can we please do something about this ghost already?" Dante pulled his pants on quickly and walked into the living room where the candle sat. "There," he said pointing.

As Vergil moved forward to pick it up his wrist was suddenly grabbed. The little girl had taken her women form and backhanded him onto the couch. Lady ran forward to help him, but Dante was pushed into her. They both collided with the wall and fell to the floor dazed.

"Get off me Mary." Vergil seethed as the ghost pushed him into the cushions of the couch. Her strength was remarkable, and Vergil felt his lungs collapsing beneath her weight. She looked down at him with adoring eyes, her face pulsating from the beautiful young woman to the decaying corpse.

"Vergil," She whispered as he closed her mouth over his. His chest tightened as she sucked his very soul from his mouth. She was too strong the longer she continued, and he began to get weakened.

"Hey bitch!" Lady growled, having moved by the fireplace. The girl looked up quickly, eyes widening as she spied Lady holding the candle over the fire. "He doesn't belong to you," she said in a seething tone. Lady dropped it in the fire and the girl burst into flames. She shrieked and stumbled about as Dante pulled Vergil up from the couch. The three moved to the opposite side of the room and watched as the girl flailed about before flying up into the second floor.

"Thank you." Vergil huffed to Lady.

"No problem." Dante responded. Lady smacked him upside the head.

"That wasn't meant for you," she said, turning to see if Vergil was OK. Dante watched them for a moment before smiling wide. The way they looked at one another, undoubtedly something had happened upstairs. They were checking one another for injuries in almost an intimate way. Perhaps neither realized it, or simply had forgotten he was in the room.

"So, you gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Dante asked feeling left out. As he asked they could hear sobbing coming from upstairs.

"A reason to move I think." Vergil replied, turning to look towards the stairs.

"We have a room open at the shop." Dante hinted with a smirk. Vergil closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"All right, fine. But it's only temporary." Vergil said in a defeated way. Dante clapped his hands together. He would just have to work hard to make sure the temporary stay became permanent. Alcohol would be needed, and a little help from Lady of course. At this Dante looked at his watch.

"Damn, we're late!" he growled. "You two in or out for tonight's mission?"

"What is this big mission?" Lady asked testily. Dante pulled out some slips of paper from his pants pocket.

"Four tickets to the movies!" Dante chimed happily. "You, Vergil, I and the _luscious_ Candy."

"What?!" Lady asked incredulously. "All this, everything you put me through, everything I went through was all for THIS?!" She snarled.

"I told you it wasn't dangerous. I need you two because Candy won't go with me alone. Can you believe she accused me of taking her to the movie to try getting into her pants? I mean, c'mon! I could've done it without taking her to a movie." Dante said exasperated. Lady and Vergil just stared at him.

"Yup, I'm gonna kill him this time." Lady said, getting out her handgun and taking aim.

"No shooting in Vergil's place, you know the rules!" he said putting a hand up, "Right Vergil?"

"Go right ahead." Vergil said in an uncaring tone.

"No! Wait... T-this was all Vergil's idea!" he said quickly, "He WANTED me to get you to go on this double date. The whole plan was his! Go on Verge, tell her!" he pleaded with his brother. Lady turned to look at Vergil who remained calm as he looked back at Dante.

"Come now Dante. Have the courage to take responsibilities for your own actions. Lying does not become you, and neither does pawning this off on others."

"Dude, no way!" Dante yelled, taking a step forward. Lady cocked her gun and he stopped in mid stride. Dante's coat, with his weapons, was hanging just behind Vergil who grabbed a hold of ebony.

"It's payback time." Lady growled as Vergil took a stance beside her, cocking his gun. Dante turned on his heal and took off down the hallway, but he wasn't quick enough to avoid the two bullets that caught him. He fell over like a rock.

"Well." Lady said, feeling a lot better. "Now what?"

Vergil walked over to where Dante lay and picked up two of the four tickets he'd dropped on the floor. He turned to look at her, a manic gleam in his eye.

"How would you like to catch a film? Would be a shame to let them go to waste, wouldn't it?" Vergil grinned as Lady's face lit up.

"I like the way you think. Ok, let's go," she said turning for the door.

"Just let me leave him a note, and I'll be right out." Vergil said, eyeing her as she slipped through the open doorway. Vergil grabbed a sheet of paper and scrolled a message on it. He dropped it on Dante's back before heading to the door and closing it behind him.

_Dear Dante,_

_Thank you for all your help. We will make sure to give Candy your best wishes._

_P.S. Do clean up the blood before you leave._

_Sincerely,_

_Vergil_

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**Bad news guys: My laptop broke AGAIN! It hasn't even been two months since I got it fixed the first time... I was right in the middle of writing Bleed it Out: Chapter 2... 0P I won't know till I take it in when I'll have my laptop back again. I'm totally bummed about this, and I hope you guys can bear with me till this issue gets resolved. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

**I'll reply to your reviews when I can, but my lunch hour at work will be my only time until my laptop is fixed again.**

**-Shy**


	5. Sleepover

**And... we're back! I got a ton of reviews/PM asking me when I would be updating this story despite the fact I never meant it to go beyond Chapter 4. So I had been pushing around an idea for a "sequel", but figured I could just keep going with the original and here is the result.**

**This chapter is a bit shorter (only by 1 page) than I normally write, but it felt right leaving it there for now...lol I hope it lives up to your guys expectations, because I never felt the chapters were as good after Chapter 1. I loved them personally, but they lacked the humor of the first one...lol I'm attempting to recapture that so bare with me.**

**This continuation is about a year later in terms of timeline from Chapter 4 to 5. The reasoning will be explained shortly into the story.**

**Thanks again guys for all your reviews and messages of encouragement. This is written proof that you do make a difference in molding of stories. R&R and enjoy!**

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Nothing But Trouble

**Chapter 5**

It was cold out as Lady stared at the brick building before her. She felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she contemplated her next move. She was shivering as the cold rain lashed mercilessly down on her, but she was rooted to the spot.

Dante had kicked her out and now she had nowhere left to go. It had been so long since she could say that, but she and Dante had been building their anger with one another for months now. They should've never moved in together in the first place. If he wasn't swiping her weapons, then she was walking in on him with the flavor of the week. They were far too different to get along properly, but tonight had been the breaking point. They had gotten into a small fight that had suddenly turned heated, and in the moment of it all she had made comments about his demonic background, and about...his mother.

She still couldn't figure out why she would even bring Eva into any argument, but it had slipped from her mouth just the same. She had never seen Dante so angry before.

"Get out...," he had growled at her, his eyes blazing with the rage boiling within. She didn't need to be told twice. She had left without taking anything except Kalina Anne and the clothes on her back. She had nowhere to go though and no money on her. Even if she did all the hotels and motels in town were currently booked due to some sporting event. She was about to give up and sleep on the streets when she thought of someone. The very last person she wanted to consider.

_Vergil..._

She hadn't seen him in almost a year, not since that strange incident involving tea burns and perverted ghosts all orchestrated by none other than Dante. It had been odd enough spending time with Vergil, but even stranger going to see a movie with him. Before they even reached the place Lady had gotten an emergency call from a family she knew who were having supernatural troubles of their own. She had no choice but to go.

"Perhaps another time," Vergil had said courteously before walking back towards his house.

Problem was there hadn't been another time. Neither had taken the initiative to call or visit. In the end she had moved in with Dante after Vergil moved out. To Dante's annoyance Vergil had gotten his ghost issue handled and immediately moved back in to his own place. Dante had begged Lady to take his place, and stupidly Lady had agreed.

Now she stood on Vergil's doorstep, pondering whether or not this was a good idea. It would only be for one night. She would sneak back into Dante's tomorrow to get her stuff and find a hotel elsewhere. She just needed one night to rest somewhere and hide from the cold of the night.

She lifted a hand to knock, but stopped herself. It was so annoying just standing there, but she couldn't bring herself to take hospitality from anyone. Especially Vergil who normally could care less about anyone but himself. The idea of him slamming the door in her face made her angry, and it was only a thought. Imagine if it actually happened.

Possibly she was more afraid of what he might say in terms of her disappearance from his life. A promise never kept. Vergil wasn't the type to even care about those kinds of things, was he? He had probably forgotten about it already. Yet she couldn't seem to forget what had almost occurred between them. Or had it all been in her head?

"I can't do this," she said as a shiver ran through her. She turned to go down the steps but stopped mid step as someone was watching her from the bottom of them. "Take a picture," she said scathingly as the figure just stood there. She really didn't want to deal with random morons on the street.

The figure lifted a hand to draw back the hood from his jacket. Lady's eyes widened as the white hair was pushed back from Vergil's eyes to glare pointedly at her.

"Oh, it's you," Lady said with a tense smirk. _Yes, insulting him. That'll do it you bonehead! _She internally smacked her forehead.

He didn't respond, only began walking up the stairs. When he reached the shelter of the covered landing he brushed off his coat and moved towards the door as if she was not even there.

"Hey, wait!" She yelled as he moved to go in. He turned to look at her over his shoulder and she suddenly felt very small. _Bastard. _"I need a place to stay, just for tonight and..."

He walked in and closed the door in her face.

"You're a real ass you know that? Letting a girl stand out here and shiver!" Lady kicked the door with a grunt and a growl. Why did she ever think Vergil would be any more understanding than Dante? Considering how evil Dante was, Vergil had to be 10 times that. She should've never come. She turned towards the street and prepared herself mentally and physically to be hit by the rain again when she heard the door open behind her.

"Don't get water on the floor," Vergil said coolly as he threw her a towel, and then stood aside to let her in. She stared at him untrustingly. "Of course if you prefer to stay out there," he said as he began to shut the door. Lady wedged her foot in it. He stepped back to allow her access before he closed the door and left the hallway without a word.

Lady kicked off her boots and set about drying herself with the towel. Lot of good it did though as her clothes were soaked through. She looked around the place warily, but it was almost completely dark except for light coming from the front room just off the main hallway. She shivered as she padded into the room and zeroed in on the fireplace that held a roaring fire. Without looking she went straight for it and sat down on her knees, palms out to feel its warmth. It felt so nice and everything else fell away.

"Trouble in paradise?" Vergil asked suddenly, and Lady turned to see him sitting on the couch just in back of her. He was leaning against the arm, one hand on his cheek with his finger extended to his temple, and he was watching her through heavily lidded eyes.

"You know Dante and I aren't like that," she said stiffly as she busied herself by toweling her hair. He let out a small laugh and she turned to glare at him. "What's so funny?"

"So defensive for someone who _isn't like that_." He replied with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Of course! She had to be near him when he was in one of his moods. She hated Vergil when he was feeling playful.

"I'm defensive because I'm freezing cold. Also pissed off because I was kicked out of my home by your arrogant brother and now I'm sitting here being laughed at by you. Wouldn't you be?" She asked sarcastically.

"I have enough common sense not to rely on others for shelter, as well as come in out of the rain."

_Temper Lady..._ If she pissed off Vergil then she would have no where to go. Instead she ignored his comment and turned back towards the warm fire. It didn't help the burning anger in her cheeks, but it helped to warm her hands. Shortly though she felt something heavy on her shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Lady asked as Vergil laid a blanket over her shoulders.

"Being a gracious host. You should thank me," he replied in a deep whisper. She sat forward and turned around to glare at him. He was smiling again and she hated it. His eyes looked a bit glazed as he stared at her and it gave her a nagging suspicion.

"Have you been drinking?" She finally asked as he gave her a lazy smile. Where had he been coming from when he arrived back home?

"Perhaps. It is raining out after all," he said thoughtfully as he sat down across from her to lean against the sofa. He looked too comfortable, and Lady almost laughed as she realized he was probably either buzzed, or drunk. She couldn't tell though because she had never seen him either. He seemed coherent, but he was far too relaxed to be normal.

"What does rain have to do with anything?" She asked confused. He leaned his head back.

"Wry whiskey, wry whiskey, wry whiskey I cry. If I don't get wry whiskey I think I shall die. The ocean were whiskey and I was a duck. I'd swim to the bottom and never come up," he recited slowly. "The guy who was singing that found it so amusing, yet no duck can rightfully live under water. Or wry whiskey for that matter." Vergil looked thoughtful and Lady just stared wide eyed at him, unsure whether to laugh or run screaming from the place.

"I think it's time you went to sleep. As amusing as this is, it's also kind of scary," Lady said nervously as he continued to stare at her.

"I don't sleep. I never sleep. What's the point in sleeping when there are things to be done?"

"How can you do anything if you don't get proper sleep?" Lady asked.

"Hmmm, I don't know if I like your logic. It's too simplistic," he said in a dull tone as he idly scratched at his chin.

"Vergil, go to bed. You make more sense when you're sober, and that is saying something," she said as she stood to walk over by him. She lowered herself to help him up.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he looked up at her, taking his arm from her reach.

"I'm going to help you to bed, unless you can manage yourself?" Lady said annoyed. She kept trying to take hold of his arm and Vergil kept pulling back. "Vergil! Stop it now!" She snapped as she knelt down and over him.

"You really shouldn't wear a black bra with a white shirt," Vergil said thoughtfully out of the blue. Lady looked down and saw exactly what he was referring to. She had worn an undershirt that normally would cover this up, but since she was soaking wet the under shirt made no difference. She quickly stood and turned around.

She hoped to God he would forget everything by the next morning. Again she felt him drape the blanket around her, and this time she took it gratefully. However he came with it as he practically fell into her, knocking her towards the wall. "Hey!"

Vergil leaned against her, his face buried into her shoulder blade as he somehow kept his balance. He mumbled something about _warmth _as he wrapped his arms about her waist and yawned. It both tickled and tightened her stomach.

"Why are you so warm?" He asked sleepily as he lifted his head to her shoulder, his cold cheek pressing into the side of her neck.

"Vergil, back off NOW." She warned as she pushed away from the wall. He stumbled onto the couch and looked at her through narrow slits.

"I take it back, you are cold," He mumbled as he leaned his head back, closed his eyes and said no more. Lady just stood glaring at him as she tried to control the rapid beating of her heart. _What is he thinking?!_ Despite the warm fire and blanket she was still shivering, but this time it was from his invasion of her comfort zone.

She stood still for a long time, watching him to make sure he was really asleep. It was odd to see him this way because in a lot of ways he was vulnerable. Partly drunk, now sleeping and very disheveled. His hair was still wet from the rain and laying all over the place, his shirt had become un-tucked and his naval was peaking out from the opened area. One long leg slung over the arm of the couch that had caused him to fall when it hit the back of his knee. The firelight played over his pale skin and Lady turned away. The truth was he looked handsome when he slept, and the more she watched him the more she began to wonder... bad things. _Very, very bad things!_

She decided to let him sleep it off and she too would do the same. She'd never talk about this to anyone and that would be that. Once Vergil was back to normal he would be easy to avoid and his attitude would make her see this was just a fluke. She stepped over his leg and pulled the blanket from her shoulders to lay over him.

"Mary..." Vergil whispered through a sigh and Lady felt a sting at this. How she hated that name, and yet when he said it there was no negativity what so ever.

"Mary's dead," Lady whispered to the room.

"Not to me," Vergil replied sleepily as he turned over to pull himself onto the couch fully. Lady sat on the coffee table beside the couch and watched him. _What is with him? _She felt her cheeks warm as she looked at him. Maybe she was coming down with a fever? She reached a hand out to push his hair from his face. "Mmmm," he sighed and Lady couldn't help but smile a bit.

"You're a jerk Vergil," she said quietly, but this time she got no response from him. She stood, covered him to his chin and then made her way out into the hallway. She found his room and decided that there was no sense in letting a perfectly good bed go unused. Vergil was dead to the world until morning, so he couldn't begrudge her a little comfort. She found a pair of his pajamas that were entirely too big for her, but it was better than wet clothes.

His bed was huge and she felt a bit giddy as she stretched her limbs in every direction. She had a single back at Dante's, so she had always been confined to the space on her bed, but this allowed her to roll around all she wanted. The blankets were down and so warm and soft against her cold skin. She seemed to drown in it as if she was lying on a fluffy cloud. She decided right then and there that she would get a bigger bed when she went back. The pajamas were nice too. Not exactly silk, but something pretty close. She had to knot the tie on the pants a few times to fit without falling off, but the fact they were so much bigger made her feel even more comfortable.

She yawned, feeling sleep coming almost immediately. She could smell something that was making her drowsy. It was a mixture of laundry detergent, musk, sweat and soap. It was a slept in smell that somehow comforted her while the blankets did their best to warm her. Soon she couldn't keep her eyes open and slowly she sank into the bed and fell into a heavy sleep.

* * *

Vergil rolled over and groaned as he almost fell off the couch. Somewhere his sensibilities were slowly returning to him, so he reflexively put a hand out to prevent himself from kissing floor.

He had always been hyper aware of his surroundings, especially that of the place he lived. He noticed when minute things were out of place, and he had an unnerving feeling that more than a few pieces of table art were out of place as he moved to sit straight.

Firstly he had fallen asleep with the fire still burning in the grate. Had he really drank that much? He searched his mind to figure out how he had made it home. The last thing he remembered was the old man singing some nonsense song about whiskey in his ear. It had made his head ache, so he had decided to call it a night. From there he knew nothing except he was slowly sobering up and made the same promise that he wouldn't do this again. He always did though.

Tonight was a special occasion after all. The one night in a year when he felt the need to get wasted to numb the pain of the anniversary of his mother's death. After so many years of being by his brother's side he realized it wasn't her he hated, but himself for not protecting her. His inability to follow his father's instructions and be the man of the house in his absence.

Once, every year since Dante had introduced him to heavy drinking, he got wasted and afterwards promised himself he would never do it again. It was a sign of weakness to rely on a substance to get over it. But as usual sitting at home and thinking of it usually drove him out. The idea of going to Dante was humiliating, and if anything it was only a further reminder of what he had failed to prevent. Standing in the rain and walking past warmly lit bars full of people seemed to comfort him. Somehow the nonstop drone of people talking, laughing, and singing bad karaoke helped him to shut the memories out, and the alcohol made the memories disappear all together... for a time.

Vergil stood slowly to stretch and noticed with a scowl as a blanket fell off of him. He raised an eyebrow as he leaned over to pick it up, eyeing it as if it concealed a deadly snake within. Then he brought it to his face and inhaled slightly.

_Lady..._

He looked about the room wildly. Had she been here? Why couldn't he remember?! He felt his pulse quicken as he noticed the final piece of the puzzle. As he looked into the hallway he saw a tall pair of black boots sitting on the floor by the front door. They weren't his. His eyes narrowed as he looked towards the end of the hallway. His sensitive nose picking up the faintest scent that he should've recognized instantly, but the fumes from the fireplace had covered it well. Out in the hallway though it was unmistakable.

She had been, or judging by the boots, was here somewhere. He walked lightly down the hall, determined to find the intruder with a bit of a smirk playing on his face. He hadn't seen her in over a year and a part of him wondered if she was avoiding him? He half wondered if Dante had actually convinced her that it was in fact Vergil's idea to have her come over so he could get to know her a little better. What else could he do? He didn't know how these types of things went. It had been a disaster of course, but it didn't change the fact that for a moment she seemed to share the affections he could not voice allowed.

For a long time he had secretly admired the determined woman. She was a resilient human who was not the type to ask for help. She was self reliant and he had to admit it was an endearing quality that he couldn't help respecting.

His opinion of humans had always been that they were lazy, self absorbed, and greedy creatures. Lady though wasn't any of these in his eyes. She was a hard worker who had crawled her way out of obscurity, just like him. She wasn't one of those domesticated girls who fiddled and flaunted herself in hopes of attracting attention.

She rarely came around though, and perhaps that was what held his attention. Sometimes not knowing something makes it more interesting, and he knew very little about her. He knew there was more to her than ammunition and revenge though. Only she held fast on opening enough to let him inside her head long enough to find her core. She knew how to avoid questions, and only give so much as to protect herself.

He could've checked the other rooms, but they were mostly empty and he had a pretty good idea where she would be if she were still there. He doubted she would walk off without her boots.

He slowly opened his bedroom door and a curious sight met his eyes. A dark cloud of hair lying against his white pillows, a pale hand just visible next to it. He stepped in and slowly closed the door behind him before coming to stand at the end of his bed.

Lady was practically buried in amongst his blankets, her small frame sinking into his bed. It was early twighlight of morning with just enough light pouring through his windows to make her visible. He noticed with a smirk that she was clothed in his pajamas of midnight blue which was in striking contrast to her pale skin. The overly large shirt falling just off her right shoulder made her skin catch the light and glow incandescently in the darkness surrounding her.

He eyed her through partially narrowed eyes. He had avoided her in part because the longer she went without contacting him the angrier he became. His own feelings boiling just below the surface and growing closer to steam every day that went by without some form of contact. He was afraid of what he might do if given the opportunity to see her again. After all, he could've had any woman he wanted. Yet he had made a complete fool of himself for this one. His eyes narrowed further as he thought of this.

He moved closer and softly sat just beside her, his eyes practically glowing as he gazed down at her. The hellcat of a woman with her army boots, guns and sharp tongue was nothing more than a child. Her porcelain features even more beautiful in the ignorance of slumber. He felt a swelling heat at the idea of her being in his bed, her rosy lips breathing out his name as he kissed away the sweat that funneled into the dip at the base of her neck.

He reached a hand out and ran his thumb over her lips, parting them slightly to feel her warm breath on his skin. It pleased him to hear her sigh. She was like the young girl from a Grimm fairy tale who had unknowingly fell asleep in the bedchamber of a waiting predator. Could she have been so blind to think he would not see her as a woman? Did she feel so safe with him? _Foolish girl..._

He pulled the covers back slowly and admired the way her body twisted and curved as she dozed on, oblivious to all around her. Vergil leaned forward and ran slow circles around her navel, feeling her muscles contract under his touch. His hands may have been cold, but her skin was flushed and warm enough to fix that. Trembling lips leaned down to kiss her eyelids, taking in the sweet scent of her hair before coming to stare face to face with her. Her eyes fluttered in deep sleep as he softly pressed his lips to her own.

Despite her rough appearance the skin he cupped in his hands and that he tasted with his mouth were soft to the touch. He deepened the kiss as he parted her lips with his tongue only be to stopped by her teeth. He groaned against her mouth and dropped his head to lay by her neck. He knew very well he shouldn't be trying to engage her while she slept, but she rightfully would never let him this close in her waking hours.

Vergil looked back up at her and lifted his fingers to smooth over her face. He felt the scar at the bridge of her nose which felt smoother than her untouched skin. His hand lowered to caress the side of her neck as he leaned into the other side to kiss below her jaw. He kissed her here how he could not kiss her mouth. It was unashamed, and uninterrupted as he left pink marks all down the side. She would have these in the morning no doubt, but he could not stop himself as he crawled further to lay next to her, eventually straddling over her to kiss the bare shoulder exposed by his large shirt.

As he pushed himself back though he felt the room spin and realized he wasn't quite as sober as he originally thought. He moved to the side to lay just next to her as his eyes shut to block the room from spinning. _Of all the times for this to happen. _The sudden queasy feeling in his stomach quickly returned his self control as he lay shoulder to shoulder with Lady, who amazingly hadn't woken up with the sudden movement beside her.

Vergil turned on his side and looked at her through heavy eyes.

"Ghosts and hangovers won't save you forever," he whispered into her hair as he draped an arm over her. "Next time..." He sighed but did not finish as he felt his eyes drooping. Completely oblivious to the fact that within a few hours time the _child _in his arms would be soberingly awake and willing to show him exactly what the term hellcat meant.

* * *

**Sorry about the extra page breaks. For some odd reason my typical ( -- ) that I use to indicate new sections won't show up anymore. :P Bah!**


	6. Biting the Bullet

**Hello again! I'm so glad to see you guys are glad I'm continuing with this story. I'm actually pretty happy about it too. I really like writing these 3 characters more than any of the others.**

**This chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I doubt anyone will complain? lol I'm currently working on a Oneshot that works into this story a bit. Not in this chapter, but I'll be sure to mention it when it does. It has to do though with what Lady said that pissed Dante off. :D**

**I'm also trying to keep Dante a little more in the foreground of this story. I love the VxL pairing, but I adore the friendship between Dante and Lady. So there will be a mix of it in here.**

**Anywho... R&R if you're feeling upto it. :)**

* * *

**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 6**

Sunlight was peeking through the windows and lying across the two people in the bed. Vergil, like Lady, was not use to sleeping beside another person. So when the heat of the person next to him became too much he discarded his shirt to balance the temperature between them. Unknowingly in sleep he had draped one long arm over Lady, who had managed to snuggle her way against him. She lay with her forehead pressed against his chin, her arm over his hip. Their legs were almost locked together at the knees and twisted in the blankets.

Every time one moved the other nestled comfortably into a new position, but always together. Even if he rolled onto his back she somehow came with his arm to lay flat on his chest. Or if she turned to face away from him he moved with her to sling an arm over her, his cheek resting on the side of her neck. It was a natural movement neither knew that they possessed as they came to accommodate the others comforts even in the grip of deep sleep.

It was the sunlight that made Lady stir first, that mixed with the odd feeling of being overly warm. Her first thought was the blankets themselves draped over her. She reached down to push them away not realizing that it was Vergil's arm she was trying to move. Her purposeful touch was what drew Vergil from his dead sleep, that and the sudden pain in his head accompanied by the dryness in his mouth. He was in pain and feeling annoyed that he had been woken up. In sleep he felt none of the hangover that was increasing the more he woke.

Before she opened her eyes Lady nestled herself further into what she thought was a pillow, her one free hand clinging to Vergil's backside as she attempted to stretch. Her forehead met a hard jaw and it took her a moment to figure out what was going on. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, but the moment she saw the shadowy crevice of Vergil's neck she jerked back. Her body fell off the bed with a loud thud but she hardly noticed the pain of it as she used her legs to push herself across the room. She was staring wide eyed and frantic at Vergil, who had sat up at her sudden movements. Her inner alarm was ringing. _We didn't...?_

Vergil stared around the room with his eyes furrowed; looking for the source of what had woken him. His eyes finally come to lay on Lady who was sitting on the floor, her back pressed to the wall as she gazed wide eyed at him. Her eyes looked wildly around for something, and he felt aggravation at this. Her eyes finally flew to the pillow beside him before she leapt from her spot to reach under it. Vergil instinctively was on his knees as Lady pointed her gun at his face, her hands trembling with rage.

"Don't come any closer!" She hissed as she watched him through alert eyes. He stared down the barrel at her, his head feeling like he had a cotton ball for brains. Her actions only annoyed him more.

He didn't respond, because right now he didn't care. He needed something to drink _badly._ He made to turn and leave.

"HOLD IT!" Lady yelled as she cocked the gun. Vergil sighed, but continued about his business. Suddenly a loud bang rang out as something buzzed past his right ear. He turned on the spot to see the barrel of the gun still smoking.

"What the hell do you think you're...?"

She shot at him again but this time he moved quickly and set about trying to get the gun from her. He had practically leapt over the bed and closed his hand around her wrist, trying to make her drop the gun. She struggled against him, kicking a leg out to get him away. He took hold of her leg with his free hand and slammed her up against the wall.

"Stop shooting at me!" He growled as he banged her hand against the wall until finally the gun dropped. His head was pounding now with all the noise. She reached one hand out and raked her fingers across his face. He dropped her leg and used his other hand to restrain both her arms. He let her struggle with not much interest for a while, until finally she had tired herself out. "If I let you go, will you control yourself?"

"Screw you!" She breathed hoarsely at him still trying to recover the breath wasted on struggling. "To think I thought you were different from him, but you're just the same!"

The pounding was getting worse and so it took his brain a little while to put everything together. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Don't flatter yourself girl, I seem to recall that being MY bed and not yours." He said coldly. She seemed to calm a bit when he said this.

"Then what the hell were you doing lying next to me half naked?"

"I should ask you the same. After all it is MY bed. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"You were sleeping on the couch so I thought... besides, you said I could stay here last night!"

"Did I?"

He sat thinking through the night before, and vaguely he remembered her by the fireplace. Then very clearly he remembered her in his bed and what he had been doing before he'd passed out.

"You were drunk, but yes you invited me in. Can you let go of me please?" She asked as her arms went slack in his hands. He eyed her warily, not fully trusting that this would be the end of the fight. Not like he couldn't hold his own, but he had stupidly promised Dante that he would no longer harm humans. Besides, he didn't want to have to hurt her and his strength in battle would almost guarantee it against her.

Slowly he let his own grip falter, but he watched her like a hawk as he stepped backwards. She straightened the shirt so it wasn't falling off her shoulders and watched him just as closely. Finally, feeling aggravated and in need of water Vergil turned from her to leave the bedroom.

Lady was too tired to argue anymore, so she let him turn to go. At least that was until she caught her reflection in the mirror directly across from where she stood. Bright red hickies trailed from her jaw down to her collar. Vergil hadn't gotten too far before she turned to glare daggers at him. This time though she jumped on his back, pressing him to fall face first on the mattress as she grabbed his arms and held them under her knees.

"God damn it woman!" He managed to yell through the sheets, turning his face to the side.

"Tell me what you did last night!" She demanded from him.

"I SLEPT! If I had been feeling the slightest bit roused I can DAMN sure find a better alternative than YOU! Now get OFF me!" He grunted. He used his legs and abdomen to get his feet on the floor again and to Lady's shock was tipping Lady off of him. She clung to his neck so she could find her footing before he could completely stand. She went for the gun on the floor, but he was faster. He lunged forward and lifted her over his shoulder where she beat his back mercilessly. She bit him on his shoulder blade and instictively he smacked her hard on her backside.

"HEY!" She yelled, apparently not expecting it. He tossed her onto the bed and when she tried to get up he would just push her back down. Finally she stayed put, willing his head to explode by her ardent glare.

"Don't give me that look. You are the intruder here, not me," he growled at her before bringing his fingers to rub at his temple. She crossed her arms and looked away from him which he took as a chance to escape. He picked up the gun from the floor, never taking his eyes off her as he took the clip out of the gun, and tossed the empty thing onto the bed beside her. He pulled on his discarded shirt and left to go downstairs without another word.

* * *

Lady got dressed quietly upstairs and crept down to get her boots. She didn't want Vergil to hear her. In fact, she didn't want to see him at all.

She instinctively put a hand to her neck where those distinctive marks were. They were NOT there when she went to sleep. She felt her face flush at the thought of what had occurred as she slept. It was made worse by the fact she was beginning to slowly remember the dream she was having the night before.

She had been recollecting the incident from a year before. The two of them together in the dark bathroom, that feeling of being held by Vergil, and being surrounded by his unique scent. The same scent she had associated with safety. Except Dante had never screamed from downstairs, and in the dark room Vergil had kissed her... and she had enjoyed it.

She partly wondered though if the dream hadn't stemmed from what was occurring outside of her dream. Those hickies didn't just appear there without reason, and yet Vergil was straight up denying he'd done anything to her.

What if he had just stumbled drunk to lay with her though? A knot formed in her stomach as she considered accusing him of the type of things Dante always did. She hated being in doubt and she couldn't really say Vergil had ever tried anything. Even her idea he had almost kissed her back then was groundless as nothing had happened.

"Lady."

She flinched just by the door as she heard his voice call to her. It seemed to her like a father about to yell at his daughter because she was caught sneaking out of the house. She silently cursed and turned.

He sounded like he was in the kitchen, but she was still fuming and unsure if she should respond to him. Maybe if she was quiet...

"Lady," he repeated when she didn't answer. "I know you're standing out there. Come in here please."

"I gotta get going," she answered back in hopes it would help her escape. It didn't. Rather than going to him, he appeared in the doorway and leaned against it.

"Where is it you're going to?" He asked with no emotion in his voice as he watched her.

She partially glared at him, because the tone sounded as if he knew she had no place to go at the moment. Before she could answer he spoke again.

"Please come in here," he said before turning and walking back into the kitchen. She dropped her boots loudly and stalked towards the kitchen. "Sit." He gestured for her to take a seat and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Or stand, it doesn't matter to me."

"What do you want Vergil?" She finally asked impatiently.

"Firstly, less attitude would be appreciated. Did I not offer you a place to rest when you had no where else to go? You could be a bit more respectful." He took a seat at the far end of the table and let one long leg cross over his knee at the ankle. He leaned back and continued to stare at her pointedly, almost to test her attitude. She wouldn't let him win.

"Now that I no longer have a pounding headache I feel we can talk more freely about your current situation..."

"Which one exactly? The part where you were snuggling with me in bed, or a discussion on how these marks happen to be there?" Lady interrupted with a biting tone. Vergil couldn't help but grin a bit. "It's NOT funny!"

"Forgive me, but I fear I may have gotten careless in my weakened state. If you have not noticed Lady I am a man, and every bit as prone to feeling lust." He replied gazing at her calmly. "Especially when I wake to find a beautiful woman in my bed."

"Yeah well! ...wait. Did you just call me...?"

"Don't let it go to your head. You'd be surprised how beautiful any woman can appear with the right amount of alcohol."

Lady's jaw dropped as she gaped at him. _That BASTARD! _Lady turned on her heel and went straight for the door, so angry she even passed her boots without a thought. She tugged open the door only to find it wouldn't open. It didn't help that Vergil had followed and had held it closed with his palm before she could pull it open.

"Let me out NOW Vergil!" Lady snarled as she turned to give him a good smack. Instead he stepped forward and Lady flinched away from him. She was trapped between the door and him.

"What I meant to say..." Vergil began as he lifted his other hand to examine his handiwork on her neck. "Is that sometimes alcohol can lower inhibitions, and make it possible for someone who holds everything in..." He let his hand touch her cheek as his eyes fixated on her heavily. "...realize his own forgotten needs. Why is it my guard is down whenever you come around?"

Lady just stared up at him, not really sure how to answer. Was he confessing to her, or was this some game?

"That rhymed," she responded weakly, not knowing what else to say. He looked away as if recounting his last sentence.

"You're right. I should be a poet..." Vergil trailed off as he bent low to her face. Lady's heart began to beat rapidly as somehow her dream crossed into reality. She tensed up, but was oddly anticipating the feeling of him being close to her. He ghosted so close that they were sharing air between their mouths. Once again she found herself drowning in his comforting scent. It temporarily made her feel dumb and slack before him. The last time she had been so close it was she who had leaned into him.

Lady closed her eyes and leaned forward a bit.

"So, shall we continue this in the kitchen?" Vergil suddenly asked, but she noticed his voice sounded further away.

"Huh?" She asked lazily as she opened her eyes. Vergil was standing by the kitchen door with no indication in his face that anything had almost occurred. He watched her for a moment before re-entering the kitchen. _What the HELL was that? _She put a hand to her stomach and leaned against the door to compose herself. What was she doing? She had almost tried to kiss him... and felt disappointed it had not happened.

She slapped her cheeks as quietly as she could before walking cool and collected into the kitchen where Vergil had resumed his seat and was sipping slowly at a cup forgotten the last time she was in there.

"As I was saying. Why is it you're here Lady?"

She watched him closely, but his voice hid no waver.

"After all, mine is the last place you would come if faced with nowhere to go," He continued. There was no bitterness in his tone, but his eyes watched her over his cup and she couldn't help but feel a pull at these words. "Are you and Dante fighting?" _He makes it sound so childish..._

"No. You see, fighting would imply I gave a damn about him," she growled as she took the seat across from him.

"Ouch. I pity the man who angers you. What caused the fight?"

"Why?" She asked him partly because he never cared enough to ask questions, and also because she didn't want to tell him it had been over his mother. It was bad enough with Dante mad with her, but the idea of Vergil despising her on top of it was something she did not need.

"Dante doesn't anger easily. He's far too laid back, so it must've been something pretty bad to provoke him into kicking you out."

"..."

"Where will you go?" Vergil asked when she didn't reply. She was grateful that he didn't press her on the subject, but only shook her head.

"Probably check into a motel for a while," she replied. He let out a small breath of a laugh. "What?"

"Tell me Lady. Are you afraid of me?" He asked setting his cup down and staring at her over his nose.

"Afraid? You? Why... should I be?" She replied without faltering.

"To tell you honestly I have this large place which is far too much for me alone. I am rarely home, and when I am I inhabit only 4 rooms. Seems a real waste of space. While most likely you came to me as a last resort, I would hope you coming at least leaves open the possibility that staying here is not such a horrible thought."

"...Ok...?" Lady raised an eyebrow at him wishing he would make a point.

"If Dante will not take you in, I would not mind the company."

"Are you asking me to live with you?" She asked wide eyed.

"No, I am merely saying that should you need a place to stay until you get on your feet that you can consider this an option. At least if given timely notice I can make sure another bed is prepared for you so you don't feel inclined to crawl into mine... Unless of course you wish to share it."

He was so casual in tone, and yet she could hear the internal grin.

"You are such a... a... brother of Dante!" Lady said slightly flustered.

"Guilty, but not by choice I assure you." He said before standing to take his dish to the sink. He turned after and leaned against the counter thoughtfully. "If you should decide, I can accompany you to Dante's to get your things. That is of course, assuming he hasn't lit them on fire out of anger." Lady laughed a bit, but his face was dead serious as he watched her.

"You don't think...?"

"I hope you kept valuables hidden, and that the majority of your clothes are fire retardant. As a devil hunter one would think so."

"I'll kill him!" Lady growled as she stood up. "C'mon."

"Ahhh, so is that a yes to moving in?" He asked.

"No, that is a maybe providing that you help insure I get my stuff back unharmed."

* * *

THUD...

_What the hell does she know anyway?_

THUD...

_She just loves to get me riled up. _

THUD, THUD, THUD. CRASH.

"God damn it all!" Dante growled as his dartboard fell off the wall after he had practically sent a single dart directly through the board. The bull's eye was pulverized by his angry throw.

He was still fuming over the nights events with Lady. Why did she have to say such a thing to him?! She could've used one of many random insults that would only wound his ego, but she instead flung at him the type of thing that made him doubt his own perception of his family. That single revelation had been devastating to him.

He walked over and picked up his guitar, setting it over his leg as he sat on the arm of the battered leather couch. He began to idly tune the chords, but his heart just wasn't in it. He couldn't get his mind off of the conversation from the night before.

He heard the bell above the door and turned to see Vergil standing tall against the morning light coming from behind him.

"Morning Verge," Dante said dismissively.

"Any messages?" He asked casually, still standing in the open doorway. Dante grinned at him. Yeah, so he hadn't gotten Vergil to live with him, but when he left he didn't bother to tell anyone he moved back. So Dante would receive packages filled with old tomes and other odd things that Vergil seemed to take an interest in. This meant Vergil had no choice but to drop by the office every so often to pick them up. Even if Dante knew it was more in hopes of seeing Lady.

"She's not here Vergil," he grinned knowingly as he leaned over his guitar.

"I didn't order a she, it was a book." Vergil replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Give it up Verge; she's too much of a prude to realize you want in her pants..."

"Dante," Vergil cut in warningly.

"I know you have a thing for her, but if she hasn't caught on by now then she..." Dante stopped mid sentence as Vergil turned to close the door and saw Lady had been standing behind him the whole time. She stared at him with wide eyes. "Why'd you bring her here? If she drops by then she'll think you're with Lady!" He said catching himself. Lady lifted an eyebrow at him and Dante hoped to God his tone was convincing. Vergil walked towards him with an _I'll kill you later _glare.

"Funny, I seem to recall kicking your ass to the curb?" Dante said scathingly as he remembered why he was in such a foul mood.

"Let me get my stuff and I'll make sure you never darken my door again." Lady replied with bite in her tone as she turned to go up the stairs.

"GOOD! You were a lousy devil hunter to begin with! It'll be nice to not have to save your ass from now on!" He yelled up the stairs after her before she slammed her door loudly. "God damn bitch," Dante growled as he turned back to Vergil.

"Take it easy Dante; she has never hesitated to shoot you before."

"She can try, but I've sold most of her weapons by now anyway," he grinned wickedly. "Although I couldn't find Kalina Anne..."

"She brought it with her, it's at my place. So do be careful. A bullet wound is one thing, but death by missile is another," Vergil mused.

"Wait a second... What is Kalina doing at your place? You...you didn't?! You DOG!! It's about damn time!" Dante said jubilantly as he came towards Vergil to pat him on the back. Vergil moved from his grasp.

"Don't be vulgar Dante. The girl had nowhere to go and asked for shelter for a night. I was feeling chivalrous and allowed her to stay over until she could come today to grab her things." Vergil replied emotionless as he picked up Dante's guitar to study it absently.

"And whhyyy exactly would you let her stay over?"

"Wipe that smirk off your face Dante." Vergil said without having to look at him to know it was there. Dante came over and took the guitar from his brother and played a few chords.

"Did you make sweet music Vergil?" Dante let the guitar make slow melodious tones. "And then, when she was begging for it..." He made the guitar whine, moving his hips in a thrusting motion as he leaned back and shut his eyes. "... it all came to a heavy, throbbing climax!" He began to play fiercely, each chord and slide of his hand pulsating through the floor via the amplifiers until he let one loud whine wind down to nothing at all.

"You have far too much time on your hands." Vergil said with a scowl and slight wide eyes in Dante's direction. "Besides, the only whining that goes on with you in the bedroom is when you leave your partner completely unsatisfied. I've never had that problem."

"Oww... low blow bro. So not cool. That whining you speak of is when I leave them satisfied and whining for more. After all, you are consorting with the enemy."

"Am I?" Vergil asked. "That's right; she obviously pissed you off enough to break your normally cool exterior. What exactly did she say?"

"Why don't you ask the little witch yourself, since you two are such buddies now," he replied through narrowed eyes. He set the guitar back on its stand and sank down into the couch. "She's your problem now."

"Yes, quite. I've told her she can stay with me until she gets her feet on the ground."

"You WHAT?! You won't even let me crash at your place, but you're offering to hold her up?! What happened to family man?" Dante asked as he sat up to look incredulously at Vergil.

"While I can not choose who my family is, I can decide whether or not I live with them. If you miss me so much brother, then feel free to drop by."

"So you can ignore me at your place like you do here? Or to watch you make googly eyes at Lady? Yuck, I'd rather not. I'm so giving you the worst case I can think of next time you ask for some exercise..."

Stomping could be heard from upstairs as the door near the top suddenly flew open and Lady appeared at the railing.

"Where are my guns?"

"Lenny's Salvage and Scrap out on Highway 65," Dante said in a bored tone as he glared at the floor. "Can you believe that ass ripped me off? He only gave me 50 for all of them!"

"WHAT?!" Lady screeched as she flew down the stairs to rip him limb from limb. Vergil however caught the hellcat around the waist and held her back. "Let me go Vergil, I'm going to kill him!!"

"Bring it on. Too bad Kalina wasn't here; I would've loved watching her get scrapped." Dante growled with a bit of a laugh.

"I HATE you Dante!" Lady screamed as she tried to claw her way away from Vergil to sink nails into that damnable grin.

"Feeling's mutual. Don't fuck with me, or my mother Lady. You won't like me when crossed."

Lady tensed at the coldness in his tone, and she half wondered what Vergil was thinking. She didn't dare turn to look at him though.

"Enough." Vergil finally said as he let her go feeling the fight leaving her. Dante watched her through narrowed eyes with his arms crossed. His eyes could've frozen her from head to toe and somehow it made her stomach hurt. He turned without a word and pulled a large box from behind the couch, dropping it carelessly at her feet with a clatter.

"I'm outta here. Lock up before you go Vergil," Dante said without even looking at Lady before he walked to the door and slammed it so hard behind him that the bell fell to the floor with a dull tink. Lady flinched at the noise and both stood quietly as they could hear Dante revving his motorcycle before his tires screeched against pavement and was gone.

Lady, not quite sure what to do or say, knelt down to open the box Dante had left at her feet. Inside was her missing collection of weaponry. _What a jerk... _But she didn't understand why she was feeling so sad all of the sudden. That look in his eyes, such hatred and it was directed at her. She shouldn't have cared, but rather than thinking on his anger the thoughts came to her of the times they had been a team. She hardly realized before that there fights were few in comparison to their competitive and sometimes entertaining banter.

She pulled a gun from the box, a beautiful silver gun Dante had given her for her birthday. _Little Lady_ inscribed on the side in beautiful cursive letters. She hadn't told him at the time, but that gun had meant so much to her. To the point she didn't use it, but polished and displayed it as a keepsake.

"That's a beautifully crafted weapon." Vergil said from behind her. She nodded a bit as she ran her hand over the engraving lightly. She turned her face and it almost collided with Vergil's cheek as he gazed over her shoulder at it, kneeling just behind her. "Little Lady," he read with a ghost of a smirk. He turned his eyes and met hers so she turned back to place the gun into the box.

"I have everything now," she said as she moved to stand, avoiding clipping Vergil on the chin as she did so. She went upstairs to collect the other box she had, because she honestly didn't have much. She had learned a long time ago to never get too comfortable, because nothing was ever assured. She was stupid to think that this would be any different.

Vergil stood by the door with her box of weaponry and she joined him. She turned to look back at the place she had somehow come to consider home and felt something tightening in her chest.

"You all right?" Vergil asked.

"I'm fine. Just double checking in my mind to make sure I don't leave anything behind." Lady replied solemnly.

"Or someone?" Vergil asked thoughtfully. Lady turned and saw him eyeing her, but she only turned to be the first one out of the doorway.


	7. Living with the Devil

**Firstly, let me apologize for how long this update took. I ran into a huge plot hole issue because I wrote a one shot to go along with this story (that I still plan on posting sometime), but my beta reader pointed out that it wouldn't go well if I was trying to stick to canon with THIS story... -sigh- So I was stuck on how to finish this chapter.**

**Secondly, I must apologize for not updating over the weekend like I originally intended. I ended up in the hospital late Sunday night. Word to the wise. IV's hurt! I'm fine, no worries. I think it was food poisoning or something. My cousin and mom got it too...lol **

**This chapter has been written for a long while now, but the ending is new and some things have been changed. I hope it will have been worth the wait for you guys and I promise not to let the next chapter update go for too long because now we're moving beyond the "hard" stuff and into an area I feel more comfy in terms of writing.**

**As for the Oneshot that was originally meant to accompany this I will have to work on it a bit, but it's a "what if" fic inspired by this fic. What if Sparda knew Kalina prior to her death? That is the general idea. I also have two others in the wings where Dante tries to help Nero on a date and Dante and Vergil are being inconvenienced by a fangirl...lol See, sometimes being sick can be a blessing as well as a burden.**

**So hopefully you guys will like this chapter and like it enough to stone me for where I left off...lol -gets suit of armor ready- **

* * *

**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 7**

He laughed a rich, deep laugh that she loved. His eyes lighting up as he gazed down at her with a mischievous grin.

"Are you sure about that Mary?" He asked.

"Yes," she replied crawling to sit up in his lap.

"You wouldn't want to marry an old man like me. What about the other boys?" He quipped lifting a silver eyebrow.

"Boys are gross!" She protested with a wrinkle of her nose. "You are nice, and you don't try to pull my hair or steal my dolls."

"You are far too young my dear to be worrying over such things. Take the time to grow," he laughed at her request.

"If I grow then will you marry me?" The young girl asked sweetly. He put his arms about her and pulled her into a hug.

"What about your mom? Would you leave her behind?"

"Of course not! You can marry her too and we can all be a family," the girl said slowly as she snuggled further into his jacket. She loved how he smelled. It always made her feel so safe when he was close by.

"A family... huh?" He asked quietly, his voice tickling her cheek as it reverberated there. She giggled and pulled back. She smiled up at him nodding. He lifted her up over his head and she let out a furious fit of giggles as she smiled down at him. Her protector and friend.

The man...who had killed her mother.

Lady opened her eyes unhappily. She lay flat against the mattress and gazed unseeing at the night table. She turned from it and tried to bury her face in the bed but she couldn't erase that face from her mind. It was further confirmation of her recent fears.

She had been having dreams for the past month, far before she came to stay with Vergil. In all of them she had been young, but always she was accompanied by a white haired man. At first she had thought it was Vergil, as if her mind was substituting Vergil for other people. She had feared though, and was beginning to think that it was Sparda. She didn't know why she would dream of him, unless she somehow knew him as a child.

She didn't know him though, it was almost impossible to have. The worst part of it was how she found comfort in the dreams and even now felt a pull in her stomach at waking to find it was just that. A damnable dream. It was disappointment. She growled inwardly at the idea of feeling this way towards the man who had stolen her life from her.

It was due to these dreams that Lady had gotten herself kicked out of Devil May Cry.

She tossed the covers off and hung her feet over the side of the bed. It had been only a day since she had come to stay with Vergil. In short order he had managed to put a bed, night stand and a bureau for her clothing into an empty room directly across from his. She figured the awkwardness of the situation would die down once she stayed with him more, but it was doing nothing for her anxiety at the moment.

She got up and halfheartedly walked to the bathroom to wash her face before lumbering her way downstairs. When she padded into the kitchen Vergil was already fully dressed and seemed to be waiting. Or so she thought.

"Morning," he said without turning to look at her. He was standing by the counter with his back to her.

She mumbled something incoherent before sitting down and stretching lazily. By the time she was sitting straight he had come over and set a small plate down on the table. She eyed the fruit suspiciously before extending her gaze up the pale arm with the sleeve rolled back, then to the blue clad shoulder, to a pair of uninterested eyes.

"What's this?" She asked.

"Well Lady, you see... This," he pointed to a piece of green melon. "...is honeydew. And this," he pointed to the salmon colored melon. "...while similar in texture is, I assure you, cantaloupe. Obviously the others..."

"I KNOW what they are!" Lady said grumpily. "Let me rephrase... Did you make me breakfast?"

"No, these are the leftovers from _my _breakfast. You are welcome to them if you like," he replied as he turned back to lean against the counter. She glared at him through sleepy eyes.

"How _thoughtful _of you Vergil."

"I try. Now," he began as he stood to walk towards the kitchen door. "I will be gone most of today. I would hope you'll make good use of the day and not laze about the house." Lady skewered a piece of honeydew with her fork. He turned towards the door to go, but paused for a second to look back at her as if to say something more.

She in turn shoved the much too large piece of fruit into her mouth, eyeing him pointedly as she inhaled it with no issue. He perked an eyebrow at her and left the kitchen. Moments later the front door closed.

Lady breathed a deep sigh and pushed the plate away from her. _A few more days like this and I will go crazy. _The truth was she had no plans for the day, because without Dante she didn't have much in the way of jobs. None of her point people had called her, and so she found she had an entirely empty day ahead of her. This left one possibility.

She went upstairs, discarded her pajamas, and got dressed. She then headed back downstairs to begin her initial inspection of the place. One of the first things she had done when she moved in with Dante was wander about and make a checklist in her head. Noting every room and crevice in the case of a possible attack. In her line of work this had become habitual as well as crucial to her survival. After all, she had pissed off enough demons and humans to know she was never 100 safe. By knowing the lay out of the places she stayed helped give her an advantage over enemies who might try to get their revenge where she lived.

Vergil's house though was not quite cooperating with the idea. He had no electricity STILL. Even after he had gotten rid of that ghost girl. The lighting provided was either candle light during the night or sun in the day. Trouble was Vergil had put thick black curtains on almost every window. She half wondered how he managed to not smack into a wall. He would probably be mad at her, but she would take that over a broken ankle or bruised forehead any day. She took and flung the old curtains open, allowing fresh sunlight to open the rooms to the possibility someone lived there. She also opened a few windows to let a cool breeze chase away the smoky and dusted smell that lightly scented the air.

With the light Lady finally began to notice details of the rooms. Books lined the living room walls from ceiling to floor. Table top statues and art could be seen on random pieces of furniture arranged in just the way to be close to the walls, but not block any of the books. All of it looked very old. No art hung on the walls in other rooms, including the photo's she had seen only a year ago that once lined the upstairs hallway. Lady had opened all the bedroom doors to flood light into the corridor and noticed the empty spaces where they had once sat for who knows how long.

The more she explored, the more fascinated she became. It was odd, but Vergil had an assortment of weaponry in one room she didn't know he owned. She had only ever seen him wield Yamato before, but he had swords, crossbows, a mace, and even a very old handgun. It stood out like a sore thumb amongst his well kept collection. It was a bit rusty, looked like it might also have blood on it. _Eww..._ She felt kind of sorry for it, having such a love for guns herself.

She managed to go from room to room and only had two left by the afternoon. It didn't help that instead of scouting the room's attributes she got distracted by the room's contents. She was always too curious for her own good.

The two rooms that remained were the attic and Vergil's room. She was pretty sure she didn't want to see that room again for a long time, so she opted instead for the attic. It was here she found the most surprising thing of all. Mounds of stacked boxes, covered furniture and the like. It was like a second house up there.

Rather than concentrating on getting acquainted with the room, she went straight for the boxes. Not only did the attic have a large window at the far end, it also had a large skylight that let light pour down onto the sun bleached boxes. She knew very well she shouldn't be digging, but when her hip _accidentally _hit a box that was close to falling and spilled its contents... well she _had _to pick it up. Even if some of the books opened, with no prodding from her... ahem.

Rather than a history of demons, or the things she thought she might find of Vergil's she found none of it belonged to him. Not unless he secretly wore a corset under his battle gear. Lady frowned at this thought before smirking. _It would explain his physique... _She allowed herself a laugh, because she could think such things when he wasn't there to glare at her for it.

She sat on the old floor and set the contents in front of her. The owner of the box was undoubtedly a woman. She found a jewelry box with some tarnished silver pieces inside, an old hair brush still with dark strands of hair in it... _Ew again._ What caught her attention though was a leather bound book in a lilac color. The purple slightly showing signs of yellowing, but the original beauty of the book was apparent. She opened it and a letter fell from inside. Lady reached down and lifted the faded letter up to see an inscription in purple ink.

"To Mary, with all my love. Vergil."

Lady read out loud and her blood ran cold. _Mary? Vergil?! _She turned to look around and noticed a partially covered photo sitting just to her right. She reached a shaken hand out and tugged on the sheet. She recoiled back as she saw the picture of the little girl who had once haunted the second floor.

She had always thought Vergil had burned this all, figuring that was his final solution to his ghost problem. Yet here it all was. He must've used some other means to get rid of her. Lady looked down at the book in her hand and flipped through the pages. It was so old that there was no way the Vergil it referred to was the same one she lived with.

"It's a diary," she whispered. She glanced back into the box and noticed there were at least four more diaries in various pastel colors. She felt a wicked sense of curiosity overtake her as she grabbed them up and headed downstairs to read them.

--

When Vergil arrived back home there was no sign of Lady. Although it was readily apparent she had been up to quite a bit during the day. All his drapes were pulled open, and he rolled his eyes and set about closing them again. To his annoyance every door was open as well, and he half wondered what the girl had been up to while he was away. He would have to set some ground rules for her.

He went to his room and shrugged off his coat, feeling mentally drained as he sat on the edge of his bed to pull off his boots. He had gone to Dante's only to check his messages and grab something Lady had left behind. Instead he had been cornered by Dante the moment he'd entered.

"What didn't bring her with you this time?" Dante asked bitterly as he turned and walked into the back room. Vergil didn't follow, and so after a minute Dante opened the door and stared out at him. "You coming or what?"

"I don't have the time to listen to you whine about Lady," he replied in a bored tone. Dante's face turned bright red, it was almost amusing.

"I don't WANT to talk about HER! Get your ASS in here NOW or so help me god Vergil..." Dante let the sentence trail off to leave limitless possibilities on how he would annoy Vergil in retaliation. Vergil sighed and took off his jacket before following after his twin.

The "gym" as Dante referred to it was the room Dante had gone into. There was a punching bag that looked worse for wear, an even nastier looking couch than was in the main room, a bench press, some barbells, and of course a small fridge which mostly held bottled water. A few other less mentionable practice items were strewn about, but Vergil didn't come here to spar with Dante.

Dante was slouching on the old, tattered couch looking about as bad as it did. He had noticeable dark circles under his eyes, and his usually sun kissed skin was looking more like Vergil's deathly pale one. Even the hair he had taken such pride in was disheveled as bloodshot eyes stared annoyed at Vergil. He held a bottle of tequila in one hand.

"You don't have to say it," Dante barked as he set the bottle down to knead his eyes with the heel of his palm.

"You look like hell."

"I said you didn't have to say it!" Dante barked at him.

"Understand I am not here at my leisure, if you have something to say Dante then please be quick about it." Vergil said coldly as he stared at his brother. Dante shot up from his place on the couch and pressed Vergil up against the wall, one forearm against his throat.

"I'm sick and tired of you treating me like a moron! Can't you ever just consider my fucking feelings for just ONCE?" Dante yelled at Vergil's unflinchingly calm exterior. Vergil noticed a waver in Dante's tone though and oddly enough thought he saw the makings of tears in his younger halves eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Vergil asked looking curiously at him before narrowing his eyes. "Are you drunk?" Dante pulled away and turned from him as he cursed silently.

"I can't sleep, and it's making me act weird. It's definitely not helping that you can't even be a brother for five fucking seconds." Dante's body language had gone from tense to slack in those few moments and Vergil couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for his twin.

With all their fights between the vicious ones from their tumultuous past, or the banter they kept at after they had come together again, Vergil still couldn't sever the bond. He felt for Dante in times of sadness, and could tell instantly that this was not some whimsical show of emotion on his part, but something that was cutting deep. Vergil sighed and walked to Dante's back. He laid a hand on his shoulder, but Dante shrugged it off hastily. Dante was purposely being a brat because he was trying to contain whatever this thing was. Vergil turned him around and held him by his shoulders.

"What is wrong?" Vergil asked again.

"What would you care all of the sudden?" Dante said in a biting tone. Vergil lifted a hand to run over his face in frustration.

"Ok, this is me giving you my undivided attention. It is a rare moment that does not have the patience to continue if you should choose to play this little game. Take it or leave it."

Dante eyed Vergil, and Vergil eyed Dante.

"Is this about what Lady said to you?" Vergil finally broke the silence when Dante did not reply. He looked to the floor for a second and then nodded his head.

"You don't think..." Dante began, but stopped mid sentence.

"What? You won't be content until I hug you or something?" Vergil asked teasingly when Dante couldn't seem to find his voice. Mockingly he pulled Dante close to partially hug him as a joke by patting his back with both hands without actually putting his arms around him. Trouble was that when he did it Dante took hold of the back of his shirt and wouldn't let go. It might've been a joke to Vergil, but to Dante it wasn't.

Slightly creeped out Vergil tensed. They hadn't hugged since before their mother died, but for all his objections Vergil could sense to pull from Dante now would only provoke a fight.

"What could that woman possibly have said to you to make you this way?" Vergil asked disbelievingly as he watched over Dante's shoulder.

The conversation that had followed, while uncomfortable and awkward had shed light on quite a few things for Vergil. He didn't think that Lady was aware that their mother's anniversary had been the same night Dante had kicked her out, and that Dante was vulnerable to any blow regarding Eva. That which had upset Dante so much had intrigued Vergil. So as he sat on the couch he was anticipating Lady's return to ask her some questions.

--

When Lady arrived back she was elated to see a light flickering from within. She carried a small folder and a large bag hung over her shoulder as she entered.

"Vergil?" She called as she began discarding her boots.

"In here," he responded coming from the kitchen. Lady partially tripped over her boot as it was close to falling off before entering the kitchen to find him sitting at the table.

"You won't believe what I found!" Lady exclaimed as she dropped her bag next to the chair and sat across from him.

"Hold on. We need to talk." Vergil cut her off putting a hand out.

"Can't it wait? You see I've been at the library and..."

"Tell me about your dreams Lady." Vergil said pointedly before she could continue. Lady felt a lump in her throat.

"What dreams?"

"The ones having to do with my father."

_Dante... that bastard! _She grit her teeth and finished taking her seat, no longer leaning over the table to show him the file now forgotten in her hand.

"I paid him a visit today and he's a real mess over what you said to him the other night. Care to explain it to me?"

"There is nothing to explain!" Lady said defensively.

"There must be, since you felt the need to share it with him in a moment of anger."

"It just slipped out because he made me angry. It didn't mean anything!" Lady said as she slammed her fist down onto the table.

"Try telling my brother that. I've never seen him so messed up before. One of the new rules I'm putting in place if you wish to remain here is there is no keeping secrets. Especially when it has to do with my family." Vergil continued in a dangerous tone.

"Right. Well, there is a very easy solution for that now isn't there?"

Lady picked up her bag and her folder to leave the room. She stomped to the place she'd only called her room for a night and grabbed the single duffle bag she had yet to unpack.

"What are you doing?" Vergil asked as he leaned casually against the doorway.

"What does it look like? I wasn't going to be bossed around by Dante, and I sure as hell am not going to be bossed around by you."

"You and Dante are so alike sometimes it's no wonder you fight. This is the childish tactic you're resorting to? And what if I told you that I won't let you leave?" Vergil asked with a sly smirk on his face. Lady pulled out her handgun and aimed it at him.

"Step aside," she said shortly.

Instead Vergil stepped forward. Lady shot and nailed him in the shoulder, but Vergil barely flinched and continued to walk towards her. She shot again, and again. All the time she kept trying for that head shot but somehow unable to go above his neck. She didn't want to have to hurt him. Soon the chamber of her gun was spent and he was still walking towards her. He looked down at her with a smug smirk on his face as he unbuttoned the shirt, opening it slightly to show the wounds as they discharged the bullets and healed over.

"Now, what do I have to do to get you to tell me about these dreams of yours? Anger seemed to make it slip the last time. Shall we try that?" Vergil asked her. Lady tried to duck around him, but he caught her by the waist and pulled her to stand in front of him. Lady fought and clawed with all her might, but his grip on her combined with him standing behind her made it difficult to do much damage. Instead he dragged her into the bathroom.

"I'm going to kill you both!" Lady yelled as he shut the door behind them and made her stand against the sink. What was left of the sunlight was coming through the window casting the both of them in a strange glow as Vergil forced Lady to look at her reflection. She gave him a seething stare as he watched her over her shoulder in the mirror.

"All in good time my dear. In the meantime you are going to have to bargain with me." Vergil said.

"What do you mean bargain?" Lady asked puzzled.

"You want me to let you go, correct?" Lady nodded. "Well then here are the rules of the game. You have four buttons on your shirt, and I only have about a four second span of patience. For every time you refuse to tell me what you know..." he pulled out a small pocket knife. "...I'm going to permanently remove a button from your shirt." Lady began to struggle again. "Now now, listen to the rest before you decide. If you tell me everything now then there won't be a problem and I will let you go afterwards if you still wish to leave."

"You are twisted!" Lady spat at the mirror, as it was her only way to see Vergil from her vantage point pressed in front of him.

"No, I am reasonable. You my dear are the twisted one. Did you know the night he kicked you out was the anniversary of our mother's death?" Vergil asked just next to her ear. Lady tensed all over.

"Y-you're lying..."

"When was the last time you've seen me drunk?" Vergil asked. "Now, imagine it being you on the receiving end on the anniversary of your mother's death."

"I didn't know!" Lady yelled, partially to defend her actions and also to prevent her voice from wavering.

Vergil eased his grip on her, noting the look of horror in her eyes as she stared at the sink. As much as he had been enjoying this game, it was losing its fun quickly with that look in her eye. He flipped the knife closed and moved to allow her free range, but he stood against the door to prevent her from leaving. He crossed his arms over his chest and just stared at her.

Lady though didn't move. She was thinking of Dante, and of what she had said to him. If she had known what the day was, would she have still said it? She winced at the answer in her head. _Yes._ Lady realized that her own temper and harshness tended to outweigh her better judgment sometimes. Dante had really hurt her though with his own biting comments and so she sought comfort in hurting him.

"Lady." Vergil said lowly to bring her out of her stupor. She turned to lean against the counter, unable to meet his eyes though as she looked at the floor.

"I was jealous," she whispered.

"Jealous?" Vergil asked suddenly interested.

"Dante is always talking about his childhood, and of the small memories he has of your dad. Somehow those memories are superimposing themselves into my dreams and it's like they're mine. But my childhood in comparison..." she paused to swallow a lump in her throat.

"We had been sitting at home drinking. Dante had demanded we do so, but only now do I understand why. He wouldn't shut up about how wonderful his mother was, and of his brave warrior father who had sacrificed everything for you two. I don't know why, but it was making me angry. I told him everyone's family was messed up though, and you know what the bastard said to me?"

_Well, maybe yours..._

It had stung those callous words. He was slightly drunk, and probably a bit peeved she had pointed out the obvious when all he wanted to do was remember the positive things. Of course he wanted to remember positive things... He was in mourning over the loss of his mother, and his own thoughts were a comfort to him. She didn't care to ask why, only continued to bicker with him.

The fight that followed was a drawn out bashing of one another's families. It was becoming more and more heated and neither refused to back down. She knew eventually he would say something that sent her over the edge.

"Are you kidding?" Dante snarled mockingly. "My mom was a SAINT! At least she died fighting rather than laying down and accepting death like yours."

Her blood quickened as if it were flame to kerosene. She had never been so singularly hurt or angry in her life by something anyone had said. While not known for keeping her temper, not much fazed her but this was something she could not let go.

"Tell me what you said Lady." Vergil's voice asked from somewhere close by. She shook her head in denial.

"I never meant it to go that far. He hurt me though...," she replied slumping a little more against the sink. She felt movement near her and saw Vergil standing in front of her, looking down at her not with his normal steely gaze, but one of understanding. He could see the pain there in her eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I told him that Eva was not a saint, and did he ever consider that maybe it was she, and not Sparda who left."

_There it is... _Vergil thought with a small smile. Lady had put the thought into Dante's mind that perhaps their father hadn't abandoned them, but perhaps Eva had left Sparda and taken the boys with her. It had turned his world upside down, because if it were a possibility then his whole belief system had been a lie. Dante could live with the ideal of his beautiful, protecting mother who faced a cruel world when she was abandoned by a heartless devil. He could not however cope with the mere idea that his beloved mother had stolen from him a father he would come to loathe simply because of what he felt was done to them by his departure. It made it Eva's fault, and that was not something Dante wanted in his head. He would always wonder now no matter how much he tried not to. There would always be doubt.

"It was too late to take it back. I'll never forget the look on his face," she whispered as a silent tear fell from her eye. Luckily her hair obscured it from Vergil's view. She did not want him to see her crying, yet again, in his bathroom. It was all too embarrassing.

Vergil put a hand at the back of her head and pulled her forward to lean against him. She pushed at him and shook her head.

"I don't want your sympathy! Aren't you angry too?" Lady asked as she finally made eye contact with him. Vergil studied her face thoughtfully as if to determine if he should rightfully be angry with her.

"He could've left, she could've. It makes no difference to me now as either way it wouldn't have changed a thing. Would it?"

Vergil plucked a tissue from the counter and handed it to her. She snatched it from him grudgingly; mad that he could see her tears now.

"Must I always make you cry in my bathroom?" Vergil asked in a whispered chuckle attempting to smooth a strand of unruly hair covering one stubborn eye. Lady shrugged his hand off testily.

"Knock it off. What is it with you and touching me all the time?" She growled in retaliation before turning away from him to face the mirror. She really didn't like being reminded that this was the second time this had occurred in this room. Why was she always letting her guard down in front of him? It reminded her of what he'd said the previous morning.

Vergil lifted his eyebrow playfully and bent down to her ear.

"Did it ever occur to you that I enjoy touching you?" He asked in a teasing voice. She blushed visibly, taken back by his reply. _He...like... what?! _Lady could see him in the mirror, standing so casually behind her with his head slightly bent and eyes observing her through the mirror. "Tell me Lady... is my father all you dream of at night?"

* * *

**P.S. I promise more will come of what Lady found in the attic in the next chapter, so don't think I'm ignoring it!**


	8. Mary, Mary

**Hello! I am sorry for the wait on this one, but all those one shots PROVE that they help me get this bigger ones finished...lol I actually pretty much have the rest of the story written out now so hopefully there shouldn't be any hitches from here on out.**

**Despite being one page longer than my norm this chapter feels short! Is it just me? Oh well, you will get compensation in the next chapter. Lots of VergilxLady interaction! More creepy/smexy Vergil scenes to come! Whoot!**

**So enjoy the chapter and I'll see about getting the next to you, although BIO has been neglected for far too long...lol :D R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 8**

She was watching him with a wide eyed look in the mirror, all too aware of the fact she was currently between him and the countertop. Hadn't she been here before? He was smirking at her, a teasing smile with a dangerous twinkle in his eyes as he hovered to the side of her face.

"W-what?" She asked dumbfounded. Had she somehow told Dante about her "Vergil" dreams while drunk? She tried to think hard, but she was positive even angry or drunk she would never disclose that fact to anyone. She would rather drink gasoline and eat a lit book of matches before she confessed something like that. Hell, she had trouble admitting it to herself!

He chuckled, leaning a little closer down to her ear. She could feel his rigidly starched shirt brushing against her back. She had to do or say something. She quickly turned around to face him and he backed off just a little, possibly startled at her boldness.

"V-Vergil, oh, hi," she said when their eyes met.

"Hello," he said in a deep voice before taking a step forward again. He had a look in his eyes and she half wondered if he thought she'd turned around to join in this game he was playing. She backed up and as she did her back hit the sink. He was so close she began to notice things she normally wouldn't. Like how long his lashes were or how his mouth always seemed to curl up on one side whenever he looked at her. Oh, and his eyes. Two deep pools of blue that were midnight in the little light coming from the window. Dante had never looked this way even when he stupidly attempted to seduce her. Was that what Vergil was doing though? He was close, but he wasn't really doing anything. He hadn't even moved his arms from his side. Only their fronts were touching. For Lady though, who NEVER let anyone this close it was very intimate and distracting. That feeling came back of wanting to lean forward, but she pushed it away.

"It's a simple question. Is my father all that you dream of at night?" He asked again as he watched her closely. She slipped sideways, exiting from in front of him to the wall that held the sink in place. He watched her resolutely under long white lashes and turned his body to face her. Despite removing herself from being in front of him, he was still blocking her exit.

"I..., that's none of your business," she finally said a little too aggressively. It made her sound even guiltier. He moved forward and once again she found herself trapped. "What are you doing?"

He leaned forward into her and Lady froze as their bodies touched, not sure if it was fear or anticipation. She was oddly aware that he was molded against her and she felt herself blush. She assured herself it was a flashlight in his pocket she was feeling on the front of her thigh...a very _large _flashlight.

"W-wait," she whimpered.

"For?" He asked.

Lady opened her eyes and saw that he was not reaching out for her, but behind her. She turned and saw with a feeling of moronic embarrassment that behind her was a shelf carved into the wall. Vergil reached for a small bottle which he handed down to her.

"It helps me sometimes with unwanted dreams," he said softly as she wordlessly took the bottle.

"...thanks?" She said unsure, her face burning. What had she expected to happen?!

He moved forward again, this time never taking his eyes from hers as he leaned in so close to her cheek she could feel his breath on her neck. She pressed her hands flat against the wall behind her, shutting her eyes tightly. _This is it..._

"Towels," he said huskily.

"Towels... Towels?!"

He pulled a towel out from the same shelf and Lady wanted to rip the smile right off his face.

"What the hell do you need that for?" She growled at him as he crossed over to the bathtub. Wordlessly his hands went and began to undo the top button of his shirt. A tendril of his normally slicked back hair fell over one eye as he looked down, then at her.

"Shower. Can you turn around please?" He asked.

The thought should've occurred to her that she should've left by now, but somehow when he asked her to turn around she did so purely so she wouldn't have to look at him anymore. Call it a moment of numb stupidity.

"As lovely as your company is Lady, there is a time and a place," his voice said and she turned to see him just as he pulled his shirt over his head. His hair mussed causing it to fall everywhere as he tossed his shirt down. He lifted his arms and ran both hands through his hair to get it back to its normal sleekness and as he did so turned to eye her pointedly through the crook of his elbow.

Lady flushed because at that moment he resembled some model from a magazine with his flexing muscles of his lifted arms to the sculpted abs that curved down to his pants that hung loosely off his hips. The definition of his hips showing that "v" shape that Dante perversely referred to as the "arrow of heaven".

Lady was smitten, fascinated, and embarrassed all at the same time. She quickly went to the door, ripped it open and slammed it shut behind her, feeling his gaze on her the entire time.

She tore down to her room like a bat out of hell, closing her door and sitting on her bed like she'd run a marathon. Why the hell did he always make her feel like her heart might jump out of her chest? It was a scary feeling, and yet it was such a rush! Like how some people do crazy and dangerous things purely to feel the thrill of it. Hell, to know they can still FEEL anything at all. He disturbed emotions she thought she'd buried in her past and never intended to know. It was the only way to be safe.

Now she was just confused. Did Vergil like her? Like, REALLY like her, or was he toying with her for his own enjoyment? Every time she thought he'd do something, anticipated it even, he never followed through and it was beginning to anger her. Everything had always been black and white to her. Even her enemies didn't beat about the bush. If they wanted to attack her they did it openly and without hesitation.

She wanted him to do something... Then it occurred to her.

Did she... like him?

Lady pulled the pillow from her bed and bit into it and screamed in frustration. This was why she avoided men at all cost. She didn't get ANY of them. Dante was mad at her, and Vergil... hell she would've rather had him angry with her at this point. Anger was an emotion she understood, and whatever this was she felt towards him was new, exciting, and frightening.

Her mind wasn't all with her though. While part was struggling with these conflicting emotions the far back part of her brain was thinking on him in the shower. Was THAT a thought. She stretched fiercely at the thought and it seemed to help quell the rushing warmth navigating its way southward. She tried to think of weaponry, but the phallic similarities did nothing to help the sudden anxious feeling.

As she leaned back her hand hit something papery and Lady turned to see the file she'd brought back with her. _Oh yeah..._

She lifted it up and opened it to view the contents. No better place to distract an overactive imagination than in the business of the day. She had been really excited to come back and tell Vergil all she found out about his old ghost. That excitement had long since been replaced by something else, but now she could concentrate on this and somehow it helped to take her mind off of him.

Well, until he knocked on her bedroom door.

"Lady? Did you have something to show me?" Vergil asked through the door. Lady shivered at hearing his voice.

"There are quite a few things I'd like to show you," she mumbled lowly.

"Pardon?" He asked.

"Nothing, I'll be down in a second," she corrected herself quickly. There was a slight pause and then she heard his foot steps descending the stairs. Lady sighed deeply and found a light scent of soap on the air. She let out a guttural growl of unhappiness and prepared herself to go downstairs.

--

Vergil stoked the fire in the grate, balancing on the balls of his feet just before the hearth with heavy thoughts in his mind. A lot had occurred today, and he was tired but mostly frustrated.

While the conversation had taken on an uncomfortable turn with Dante, once they got past that Dante seemed to calm down. Vergil had grabbed him bottled water which eased his growing headache from whatever he had been drinking previous.

"How is she?" He asked nonchalantly.

"By _her_ I presume you mean Lady?" Vergil replied with a smirk. "I thought you didn't care?"

"I don't, but I have to make sure she's not being a burden to you," he replied defensively. No doubt telling himself he did not ask out of concern for her, which Vergil doubted very much.

"A burden? You know me better than that Dante."

"I do but even if you like her, having someone around who won't give you the time of day can be its own burden."

Vergil turned to look at him oddly.

"Sometimes you sound like you might've been eloquent in another life." Vergil mused at Dante's little shred of logic.

"Fuck yeah," he grinned smugly.

"I take it back."

"While I don't care about Lady right now I'm still curious to see how things are going between you two."

"Take that look of putrid innocence off your face, it does not suit you. You could care less if she's accepted me as a companion so much as if I've, how would you put it. Oh yes..." he made a mock tone of Dante's voice. "Tapped that."

"Hey! I am not that crude..." He growled crossing his arms. "... so... have you?"

"No."

"Ahhhhh. It's been two days since she started living with you and... Nothing?"

"If you know Lady at all then you would know better than to think living with someone for two days isn't exactly her definition of a person she'd be with." Vergil said rolling his eyes at Dante's stupidity.

"And if I left it up to you two it would be 16 years before Lady even got a hint that something was off between you. I swear sometimes we're not related."

"You think you could do better?" Vergil snapped at him.

"At least I'd give it a decent TRY. Women like Lady aren't so easily swayed by typical romance. It can't be all about your feelings."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Do you? Then why the hell haven't you taken the initiative?" Dante asked with a puzzled look. Vergil moved uncomfortably.

"I do not wish to scare her off, and aggressive nature surely would undo all I had worked for to get the girl to just trust me. I do not want to lose that if that is all I am allowed to have." Vergil replied thoughtfully.

"You are such a moron." Dante sighed with a laugh as he shook his head. Vergil turned and gave him a glaring look. "Don't get all pissy, but you obviously understand nothing about women especially ones like Lady."

"I suppose you're going to enlighten me then? Since your love life is so peachy to begin with."

"Owwww, low blow Verge. I may not have a constant, but what I want I have and that has nothing to do with my amazing good looks or overwhelming charms." Dante smirked as his brother only rolled his eyes at him. "Listen here Verge."

"A woman like Lady only trusts one person. Lady, period. She trusts her emotions, and what she sees and feels. You can tell her you like her all you want but unless she knows within her own heart that she feels the same you will always get nowhere with her. She has to believe it herself before she can ever trust your feelings."

"Go on." Vergil replied as he came to sit by Dante, suddenly interested.

What had followed was a conversation on how Vergil could take the initiative and be aggressive without being. Invade her space just enough to make her wonder and consider it for herself.

His first attempt was just now upstairs and he was still in debate how it had gone. She'd blushed, which secretly made him laugh simply because it was a sort of revenge for all the hell he'd privately gone through in regards to her over the past year. The look on her face as she raced to leave the bathroom had put a new bounce in his step, and yet he couldn't celebrate just yet.

He heard her footsteps come meekly down and he watched the doorway as her head poked in. She looked as if she were concentrating on what she might do or say as she walked in but jumped as she saw him.

She smiled at him. _How odd_.

"You wished to show me something?" He asked as he stood and put the poker back on its holder.

She held up the file as she slumped down onto the couch, which was funny because at this angle it basically hid her face. He strode over to the couch and sat beside her, turning towards her and resting an arm over the back of the couch. He leaned in a bit to look at the folder and noted for a split second the red hue of her cheeks. Dante was a genius.

"Well?" He asked when she said nothing with an air of calmness that frustrated and unnerved her. How could he possibly be so calm after that? He was such an odd guy...

"I was checking out the house today..."

"I noticed." He interrupted dryly.

"...I happened to find all the stuff you put up in the attic." Lady pressed on but was stopped again when he sighed.

"I don't recall giving you permission to intrude beyond the main living areas, bathroom, and your room."

"I wasn't doing it on purpose. It's always valuable to be aware of your surroundings in case of emergencies." She said curtly. She had waited all day and suffered another uncomfortable bout with Vergil just to get to this point. She'd be damned if he delayed her any further. He waved at her to continue and the urge to hit him was only overpowered by her need to tell him what was in the file. It would help distract her from staring at his profile.

"One of the boxes tipped over accidentally," she said quickly not looking at him on purpose because she could feel the gaze that told her he didn't believe it was an accident. "I found a bunch of old diaries and I think they belong to your ghost girl."

"They do." He offered.

"Well, I was really curious as to who she was so I went to the library and did some research."

Lady picked the file up and handed it to Vergil who pulled the cover back and browsed it.

"It's all in there, but I'll summarize it for you. Her family was well off by the day's standards, but apparently not as much as the father wanted. I learned through her diaries that she was to be matched with a wealthy man who she had never met before. She was pretty upset about it because she was in love with the widower who lived next door. He was a lot older than her, and guess what his name was?" Lady smirked secretly at him.

"I give up, tell me."

"Vergil..."

"Ahhhh, Vergil and Mary. How cute." He smirked as he watched her from the corner of his eye. She raised a brow at him.

"Cute my foot. More like appropriate if you ask me." Lady said looking away from him. Why must he always imply she was referring to them?

"Appropriate? Really? Why should that be?"

"Through her diaries I found out that she, since she was 15 had only ever seen him from her bedroom window. It was an unrequited love considering she'd never met him before. She began to believe that he knew she was watching him and secretly returned her love."

"Foolish whimsy," he sighed.

"She really believed she loved this guy. Sometime after she saw him for the first time she wrote about how his wife died and of how he would always sit in his drawing room with such a look of grief it broke her heart. She knew his sorrow, and felt his pain of not being able to be with the one he loved."

"I didn't know you were the type for romance stories." Vergil said amused.

"You don't have to when it comes to understanding loss." She grumbled as she pulled some photos out. "This was Mary when she was 17, and this is her Vergil."

Lady handed him the old photo's that sat next to a huge headline.

_**Double Murder, Suicide Shocks City**_

"Murder and suicide?" He asked as he looked at the photos. In the one of Mary it showed a gentle looking girl with ebony hair, high eyebrows and light blue eyes. Everything about the picture looked fake. Even the smile on the girl's lips was faked. The only thing that spoke truth were her eyes that looked diminished and sad.

Her "Vergil" as Lady put it was probably in his late 30's, early 40's with chestnut hair and light grey eyes. He had a banker type look to him in his heavily starched suit. His face though spoke of kindness that seemed to match that of Mary's, almost as if the two would've made an attractive couple. He had one of those smiling mouths that seemed to do it even when he didn't intend it to. This was a serious picture, and yet the smile lingered in the corner's of his mouth.

"She finally got up the courage to talk with him, suggesting to her parents that they should pay their respects to him as neighbors. She was so excited she wrote how she barely slept the night before, her mind believing it would be love at first sight for him as it was for her."

"I hear a but coming," Vergil said when Lady paused.

She nodded and tried to find the words to continue. Reading this Mary girl's diaries had kind of touched her. She never truly understood women who couldn't seem to survive without men, but through the girl's words she almost managed to touch upon that feeling. As a child Lady had felt locked away while living with her mother because Kalina had been so paranoid near the end that Arkham would somehow find them. Even as a child she was still at an age when she dreamed of being rescued by her white knight, especially when the crying from her mother's room late at night would become unbearable.

This Mary had felt caged by her oppressive father, and inescapable marriage. Vergil had been her white knight, her escape to the kind of life she always dreamed of. Lady though knew that dreams were for fools.

"When they called on him the next day they were greeted by...his fiancée who was visiting with her family."

"Ahhhh." Vergil said as he sat back to gaze at Lady thoughtfully.

"She only saw what she wanted to see. She had brushed the woman off as someone who was just there, because surely he would love only her. I even found a letter that Mary's arranged husband wrote to her where she scratched out his name, and wrote in Vergil's." Lady handed it to him. He noted the scribbled and illegible name and the name beside it written in a feminine hand.

"To Mary, with all my love. _Vergil_," he read.

"Eventually she had to come to terms with the truth. She was devastated, and made her last diary entry." Lady continued as she pulled out the final book and began to read allowed.

_"...my heart is hurting tonight... I've tried to tell myself to quell those feelings, to not doubt, to love and believe. I taught myself so long ago to lock it all away where no one could touch it, for when those moments of abandon came I would barely feel it. It would only hurt for a moment, and then...nothing._

_Apparently my heart isn't as guarded as I originally thought..."_

"The rest I found out from the news clippings. She invited them over for tea and conversation, but neglected to tell them she'd laced their glasses with poison. When her family found them Mary had dragged him up to her room before she took a lethal dose of the poison herself. She was lying beside him, hands clasped together with her head on his shoulder. She left no note, indication of her plans, or apology for doing it."

Lady looked up at Vergil who had a furrowed look on his face, thoughtful, but disturbed by this news.

"It certainly would explain why she haunted the upstairs exclusively. She was looking for him in the last place she knew him to be. Instead, she happened to get me." He paused. "Perhaps I'll switch rooms from this night on."

Lady shook her head at him and closed the file before setting it on the table. She leaned back on the couch and stared up at the ceiling as silence befell them.

"It's all kind of sad. She really, truly believed they would be together. Even after she found out about his fiancée. It's almost as if she thought they were both trapped in this world that kept them apart and their only solution was to be released from it." Lady said.

"I don't think I'll ever understand the female mind," he said after a while. Lady turned her face to see him sitting just as she was, with his face pointed to the ceiling with his eyes staring upward.

"Me neither," she sighed as she watched him. He turned to look at her and she saw for a moment he smiled at her before looking away and sitting up straight.

"Well then, I'm headed to bed. We have a big day tomorrow," he said as he stood and stretched, giving Lady a brief glimpse of his stomach as his shirt came up.

"What do you mean?" She asked turning away.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I spoke with Dante today, and he wants to apologize."

--

They stood on the steps of Devil May Cry with the wind rustling Lady's long overcoat behind her. It was a dark, gloomy day with a low rumble that warned thunder, lightening, and Dante. She felt like some hombre standing their ground as tumbleweed crossed her line of sight. The only thing between her and her enemy.

"He won't bite you know," a voice said slightly to her right.

"You're his brother and you're not aware that he does, in fact, bite?" Lady asked as she turned to give Vergil a dry look. She was in a foul mood today because she barely slept a wink the night before. She had a strange dream about going out for tea with Vergil as a couple, but the waitress poisoned their cups and before Lady died she saw an eyeless girl dragging a lifeless Vergil away from her.

Vergil touched her arm lightly and she shivered, closing her eyes to push that mental image away. She opened them to confirm that Vergil was in fact still by her side, and that there wasn't a bloody, long nailed hand snaking its way over his shoulder.

"Are you feeling all right?" He asked with scrutinizing eyes.

"I'll feel a lot better when bite boy apologizes to me. Let's go in," she said shrugging his hand off and going to open the door. The main area was empty and she turned to Vergil, who had called Dante to tell him they were coming over, on where he might be.

"Probably in the gym. You check there while I go upstairs." Vergil said thoughtfully as he turned to go up the stairs. Lady sighed and headed for the gym.

She didn't even bother knocking as she stepped inside and found Dante lying on his back staring at his PSP that he held up in front of him. He was humming along to some annoyingly catchy tune as he tapped his feet on the arm of the couch. At hearing the door open he put his head back to look at her upside down and a sudden glare formed.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He growled as he suddenly sat bolt upright to stare at her.

"Excuse me?! Vergil said you wanted to apologize to me!" She said taken back by his sudden flare of anger.

"ME? Apologize to you?! HA! Nice one. Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out," he said in mock laughter as he resumed his laying position and returned to his game.

"You JERK! Why make me come all this way if you--," she began as she reached for the door knob and pushed. Nothing happened though. "What the?"

Lady turned the knob and pushed again but it wouldn't budge.

"What is it now?" Dante growled at being interrupted from his game.

"The door won't open!" Lady shot back and she tried laying all her weight into it.

"It's probably because you're a girl."

Dante walked over and moved her out of the way, grabbed the knob and pushed. Nothing happened.

"What did you do to my door?!"

"NOTHING!"

Both glared at each other as they heard conversation going on outside.

"He will be most upset Master Vergil." Agni said quietly.

"We will be severely punished." Rudra added.

"Ooooo, I do hope so." Nevan said in total ecstasy. "Ohhh Vergil, why don't you come to visit me anymore?"

"Will you three be quiet?" Vergil's voice came through the door sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"Vergil, what the HELL?" Dante yelled through the door.

"Ahhh, you're here then. Excellent. Make yourselves comfortable, as I am not opening this door until you two have settled your differences." Vergil stated calmly.

"You dick! Open this door now!" Dante screamed at him as he pounded his fist against the door.

"Agni, what is a dick?"

"I'm not quite sure Rudra, but surely if Master Dante says it is so then it must be true."

"I could show you what it is." Nevan giggled deviously.

"STAY in your devil arm form Nevan!" Vergil growled slightly flustered. "Only Dante would own such annoying and perverted weaponry."

"OK Vergil, this has gone far enough. Let us out!" Lady finally said, not sure if she was more angry being shut in with Dante or that Vergil was shut out there with that slut Nevan. Silence was all that came from the other side, no matter how much they yelled and pounded on the door nothing happened. Even in Devil form Dante could not break the seal Vergil had put on it.

They turned to look at each other miserably and it occurred to them both the only way out of this was to set aside their differences and finally talk this out. Yup.. They were _screwed._

* * *

**If anyone was interested, the game Dante was playing on his PSP was Loco Roco...lmao Love that game, but damn the songs are annoyingly addictive. I somehow see him playing games like that...lol**


	9. The Unforgiven

**Ha! I bet you didn't expect and update this quick did you? I'm feeling ambitious this week and have wanted to work on almost every single story I have in the works. I kind of am...lol About to go work on Homophobic No More now. :D**

**As I mentioned in one of my A/N and to a few reviewers this story is coming to a close. There is only one chapter left, I'm 100 percent positive about this as...the next and last chapter is almost finished and has been for about a month :D Which means the continuation of this chapter won't be too long in coming.**

**Also, if you hadn't noticed this story is coming to 100 reviews! I never expected when I began this under a year ago that it would take this long or get this much of a positive response. So the next chapter I dedicate to all of you for taking the time to read. Even if you're not the reviewing type and have never reviewed. Just by reading it you've brought me such overwhelming joy and a feeling of satisfaction. I love this website, my readers, and everyone in between! **

**So enjoy the final chapters of this, and if you begin to miss the VergilxLady pairing then check out my new story "Killing Moon". While Vergil won't be as cute or lovey as he has been here he will definitely have his moments and as my beta reader says... "Super creepy smexy"...lmao!**

**And just a fair bit of warning... things get a bit... steamy towards the end...lmao Not so much as to go M, but I always try to warn when things go "southward". Ahem. -blushes like mad and goes to hide under her desk-**

* * *

**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 9**

"I bet you he had this planned from the beginning." Lady said hopelessly as she slumped against the wall and slid into a sitting position.

"Wouldn't doubt it. That two timing back stabber. He WOULD choose a woman over BLOOD!" He said putting emphasis on it so Vergil could hear it from the other side.

Dante turned and looked angrily down at Lady who sat with her chin on her knees, arms around her legs. He slid down the door to sit a ways away from her and silence filled the room as neither wanted to take the opportunity to speak at this point.

They were both still hurt from what the other had said, and even though two tiny words could fix this all, neither of them wanted to be to the one to give in. They were stubborn as hell, which is why they clashed so much.

"Your hand is bleeding." Lady said when she suddenly noticed Dante's knuckles slightly red from banging on the door.

"I'll live," he responded not looking at her.

"It doesn't hurt?"

"Of course it hurts, but it'll heal over eventually." He replied as he examined it a bit more closely. Damn, maybe not. He had a sliver wedged in there from hitting the wood.

"Let me see."

Lady was suddenly there in front of him and he stole his hand back from her with an angry sneer.

"Just leave it."

She watched him with a fierce look of determination as they battled via glare at one another. Eventually Lady put her hand out and Dante didn't pull away when she went to look at it.

"You have a needle on you, or something to help push it out?" She asked looking up at him from over his hand.

"Probably."

She rolled her eyes and went to where she knew she had put an emergency kit. When she moved in with Dante she knew that sometimes while training she would injure herself. Dante had never had a need for band aids or the first aid kits due to his demonic blood. So Lady had put one together and placed it on top of the small fridge that held water. When she returned to crouch down by him she could feel the weight of his glare as she looked closely at his knuckle. She pulled an antibacterial wet wipe from her kit and tried to clean up the bloody area to make the sliver easier to see.

"Why did you come? You should've known Vergil was lying to you."

Lady looked up at him from under her bangs, then back down at his hand that twitched slightly at the cold dampness of the wipe.

"How should I have known he was lying? He may be a jerk, but he doesn't seem the deceitful type." Lady responded before adding, "...anymore."

More silence followed her words as she finished cleaning it, found the sliver and readied her needle. She paused and looked up at him.

"This will probably hurt. Just squeeze my hand if you need to," she said turning her hand up palm to palm with his to cradle it there. "Don't worry about hurting me, I can take it."

Dante nodded and looked down towards their hands. She moved the needle towards the raw and open wound and set to work. Dante did not make a sound as she poked at him, but he had such a grip on her hand she felt her fingers throbbing. Yet she didn't let on about her discomfort.

"Almost got it," she said quietly as she concentrated hard on not losing the tiny piece of wood further under his skin. Finally it worked itself free and slid outward for Lady to lift up to Dante. "Big sucker."

Dante eyed it annoyed and huffed so it flew off the needle point and onto the floor. He took one of the wet wipes and began cleaning what remained.

Lady sat on her knees and began to clean up, not really knowing what to say. If this was Vergil's idea of getting them to talk then he would be sorely disappointed.

"Why did you have to say it?"

Lady jumped at the sound of Dante's voice. She turned to find him leaning against the door, his one knee up with his arm resting on it as he gazed at her. His eyes looked tired, sad, and possibly were just too tired to be angry at that moment.

"You know why I said it," she replied as she closed the top on the emergency kit. "What you said about my mom."

He watched her for a moment before sniffing smugly and looking away from her.

"You could at least apologize for that much," she added.

"If I did would you apologize for what you said about my mother?" He asked briskly raising a brow at her.

"I'd consider it."

"Consider?! How long have you and I known each other?" He snapped suddenly standing to tower over her. "I may be a prick. I may get on your nerves, but never once have I intentionally hurt you!"

Lady stood so as not to feel so small in front of him. Then realized she still did despite standing.

"I consider you family," he hissed at her with a desperate look. "You don't give a damn about me or Vergil do you? All you care about is your self! Is this some sort of punishment?"

"Punishment?! What would I have to punish you for?!"

"Admit it! You blame my father for your mother's death! So now you're messing with us for your own self serving sense of justice." Dante yelled.

"You arrogant jerk. Did it ever occur to you that it has nothing to do with you?!" She spat back at him, stepping toe to toe with him.

"Then what else could it be since you seem so quick to cut me down every chance you get?"

"You HURT me you asshole! Don't sit back and say you've never intentionally hurt me, because what you said that night was both hurtful and intentional!"

He watched her closely for a moment with glaring eyes.

"Yeah, well, whatever I said was nothing in compari--"

"WHATEVER you said?" Lady snapped.

"Yeah, I don't really remember what I said to you. If you didn't notice I was kind of drunk that night."

"You think that excuses you from saying that my family was screwed up?"

"Is that what I said? Why the hell are you so pissed about that? Everyone's family is screwed up."

"GAH!" Lady screamed as she wanted to rip his hair out. He obviously saw as much as he stepped back from her to get safe distance.

"It doesn't matter what I said. I was drunk, what was your excuse?" He rumbled finding his footing and steeling his back.

"You know my reasoning. I don't care if my family was the most screwed up people in the world, that is and will never be your business. I don't even know why I'm even bothering to talk to you."

Lady turned and began pounding on the door, shouting for Vergil to open it.

"No, you have to face me now Lady. It's none of my business eh? You became my business the day you showed yourself at Temen-Ni-Gru. Our families are intertwined, our blood bonded whether you care to admit it or not."

Dante pulled at her shoulder to turn her around.

"Bonded? All we ever do is argue! There is no bond between us!" She let slip before she could think about it. His face looked hurt by those comments before turning to anger.

"Then what the HELL have you been doing here all these years? I'm not paying you anything to work beside me and I'm not asking you for rent. Am I just a convenient place to stay?"

"No..." She growled

"Then what is it? You obviously don't give a flying fuck about me or Vergil. You act like my friend so you can use me?"

"I've NEVER used you! EVER! You're the one who is always throwing missions my way, dropping in on me whenever it's convenient for YOU and calling me up when you're too drunk to get yourself back home."

"Because that is what FRIENDS do you moron!" Dante said before pausing to press a hand to his forehead with a growl. "I know I can rely on you. I give you jobs because I know you will get them done right. I ask you to pick me up when I'm drunk because you've never let me down in the past when I've needed you. And I drop in on you NOT when it's convenient for me, but when I miss you and need to just know you've still got my back. You selfish, stupid girl."

Lady was quiet at this, kind of in awe internally but not letting it show outwardly.

"You're such a bad liar." She whispered as she turned from him. He wasn't going to win her over like this. She was going to be strong.

"Just say those two words and I'll let it go. We can go back to how things were, you can move back in and we can forget it ever happened."

"Forget it; you're just as much in the wrong as I am in this whole thing Dante. There is no such thing as forgetting the past. We're both poster child's for that."

"You don't want my forgiveness then? You would rather protect your stubborn pride than heal my emotional wounds with two simple words?!" He suddenly flared as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Dante, stop!" She yelled at him as she tried to toss his hands off. She reached her hand out and smacked him across the face. He wheeled back slightly with his hands still clasping her shoulders. She watched him in silent despair. They could never be healed could they?

His grip on her suddenly tightened and she felt a wave of sorrow at the idea of a fight breaking out. If it were to come to that she was sure things would never be the same for them again.

He pulled on her and she flinched before he pulled her into a vice like hug.

"You hurt me Lady...," he said in a small voice over her shoulder. "Don't do it again."

"I'm sorry," she said almost automatically before she could think of what it was she was saying as she hugged him back. Lady finally just losing all want to hold back the guilt she'd felt since Vergil had told her what exactly she had done to him. She didn't want him to hate her, and yet she was too stubborn to be the one to make the first step towards rectifying things.

"Do you care so much about your pride as to push those who care about you the most away?" He asked in a pained tone with a hint of disappointment. "For once can't you just call truce for the sake of someone else?"

Lady did not answer him on that as she stared over his shoulder through somewhat glassy eyes. She looked to the ceiling to prevent any tears from falling. She grasped onto the back of his shirt and held him tighter. _What do you want me to say?_

"You're not always going to like what others say, or feel, but if you don't stop putting up these walls how can you ever learn to sympathize? That's why we fight so damn much. You never bend to anything!"

Dante pushed her back from him to stare long and hard into her face.

"You see this? This is me BENDING because I miss you and give a shit whether or not you hate me. I'm an ass; you know this especially when I drink. But you Lady, you have never hurt me the way you did that night. So, right here and now I want to see some bending on your part."

Lady just stared up at him, unsure what he meant by that. He seemed to see the confusion in her face.

"Let go, and stop holding back. If you do that I'll forgive you."

He stepped back, letting his arms drop to just watch her stare at him even more confused. _How the hell am I supposed to let go? _He gave no helpful hints, just stood watching her. She was getting frustrated because she wanted his forgiveness. She wanted this to end so things could go back to before. The more it frustrated her, the angrier she became, and the angrier she was the more vulnerable to those tears that were threatening. She shook her head and turned from him as they started. She tried to think of something else, anything to prevent him from seeing her cry like this...

Suddenly it dawned on her and she turned to look at him over her shoulder as a single tear fell from her eye.

"I-I'm sorry Dante... I'm so s-s-s-...," she seemed to choke as finally the floods broke and took her voice as she gave into her natural instinct of feeling remorse and regret. She let them flow freely as she wracked with sobs, and before she knew it she was wrapped in his arms again protectively, comfortingly as he stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry too," he said into her hair as he allowed her to hide her face in his chest, laying his chin atop her head. "Thank you Lady."

She broke down at those words, no longer holding back the pain of how much she had missed him and feared that they would never be friends... family again.

At that moment a sound came from the door, as if it were air locked and finally opened. Yet neither of them paid any attention as they stood holding one another just a little while longer as proof that they would be OK.

When they pulled apart Dante smoothed a thumb under Lady's eye to help dry her tears and she laughed feeling like a moron, but surprisingly feeling a lot better for doing it.

"What do you say we go kick Vergil's ass?" Dante asked as he flicked a finger under her chin to lift it. She sniffled loudly and wiped her face on her sleeve before grinning.

"I'd like that."

The two walked to the door once Lady felt she was presentable, but before they reached it they heard a loud crash come from the other side. They ran and flung the door open thinking someone was attacking Vergil. A demon no doubt. Well, they were correct, but still wrong.

"Just let me see it, I won't bite unless you ask me to..." Nevan begged as she straddled Vergil on the couch, trying to loosen his belt.

Vergil was pushing up on her hands, trying to keep them at bay with a truly horrified look on his face.

"Stay back!" He yelled at her.

"Nevan!" Dante barked.

Nevan's eyes looked back to Dante before she stood quickly.

"It wasn't what you think Dante..." She purred to him.

"Really... Because I'm thinking you were trying to taste my brother's Twinkie."

"T-Twinkie?! Wait one minute..." Vergil growled indignantly.

"Oh..." Nevan said quickly. "OK, then it was what you were thinking."

Suddenly out of nowhere they heard laughing. Loud, happy laughing ringing out through the room and to everyone's shock...it came from Lady. Maybe it was all the crying, but she felt so light even so to not care Nevan was after Vergil's "Twinkie". Dante grinned and shook his head as she lost control of her laughter.

Vergil stared at her perplexed, wondering what was so damn funny. The girl must've been off her rocker, and yet it was the first time he'd ever heard her genuinely laugh and it was lovely. He almost felt like returning the smile on Dante's face, but he did not dare.

"OK, fun's over. Nevan, back to your cabinet and you two. Get the hell out of my house. Between giggles over there and Vergil trying to bed my weapons. I swear you two are bad for business."

"You're kicking us out?" Vergil asked as he finally managed to get off the couch to stand.

"Damn straight I am. Got a hot date tonight." He grinned.

"I thought you were too devastated to do anything?"

"Meh, how else do you think I've held up before today? Women are natural anti-depressants. They smile and it lights up even the darkest corners." Dante turned towards Lady who had began to calm her laughing down only to look back at his brother. "See what I mean? Now out, both of you so I can go make myself presentable for Isabella."

He pushed Lady towards Vergil and rushed them to the door.

"W-wait, Dante. About moving back in..." Lady began, but he opened the door and pushed them out.

"I'll contact you on that... later." He said as his eyes wandered to Vergil, then back to her. "G'night!"

With that he slammed the door shut leaving the two standing bewildered on the steps.

"What was that about?" Lady asked.

"He's obviously on crack. We'll have him committed tomorrow. Let's head home." Vergil replied wearily. He didn't know how much more of Dante's antics he could take. He turned to glance at Lady and felt a pang at her question. She wanted to move back with Dante...

The walk to the subway station was a quiet one, at least on Vergil's part. He let Lady tell him a bit about what Dante had said in the room, but seemed to stop when it came to the part where they actually made up. Vergil's mind wasn't all there anyway. It was considering how he could convince Lady to remain with him, as the idea of another year of being ignored by the girl made his stomach drop out. He had thought some connection had been formed. Maybe he was wrong about it all?

--

They stepped onto the subway car and went a ways down where things didn't seem half as chaotic. No doubt it was the afternoon rush, and the majority of these people were getting off a long day of work, while the younger ones were kids just beginning their afternoon freedom from school to meet up with friends.

A group of chattering girls suddenly went silent and turned to eye Vergil as they came nearer when one of their friends pointed him out. They gave him flirtatious smiles and tossed their hair to get his attention. One even moved her book bag hopefully to offer him a place to sit. Lady glared at them pointedly. There was nothing that annoyed her more than her gender flaunting themselves like mindless morons once they caught a whiff of testosterone. Nevan had been funny since she knew Vergil wanted nothing to do with her, but what about girls like these?

Vergil however passed by them without as much as a glance in their direction which Lady marveled at. If it had been Dante there would be no end to the mindless banter back and forth between them. Obviously Vergil was not impressed either by their attempts to make him notice them. It made Lady wonder... what was Vergil's "type" exactly?

Vergil paused next to one of the only vacant seats near the door in the back and put a hand out to offer the seat to Lady. She looked at him for a second kind of taken back by his gesture.

"Thanks, but I'd feel better standing," she replied.

He shrugged and took the seat himself as she walked forward to hold onto the pole as the car stumbled forward and began moving. The further down they went the more people crowded on, causing a bit of a tight squeeze. Lady found herself standing closer, and closer to where Vergil sat quietly not really looking at anything in particular. Eventually she felt the back of her knee hitting his and looked back at him.

"Sorry," she said before turning back to glare at the guy in front of her. Some stupid suit on his cell phone. She wanted to grab the thing and break it as he talked overly loud to compensate for the noise of the train.

Vergil though only looked back up at her, looked to the guy in front of her and stood.

"Sit," he offered again as he maneuvered himself to squeeze next to her.

"I would feel better standing," she repeated as she looked away. Why did he always have to stand so close to her?!

"I can tell you are not comfortable at all. If you were to sit I could hold the crowd back until our stop." Vergil said as he gripped the bar just above her hands and met her eye to eye.

"No, I would feel odd sitting down with so many people standing in front of me. Especially you." Lady replied with a hint of annoyance. No matter which way she looked at it to sit down would mean staring as his butt or his crotch the entire way home as he "kept the crowd back" from her. Neither seemed like a good choice.

He raised an eyebrow at her addressing him as someone she'd feel odd with. He looked like he might protest when a sudden jolt of the entire car jostled people who weren't sitting around. Most of them held steady to the bar, but Lady and Vergil were knocked by the douche bag with the cell phone that wasn't paying attention.

First Vergil landed in the empty seat, and then Lady came crashing down on his lap. The sudden shift pressed everyone to take up the spot just vacated by the two, giving Lady no room to stand.

"What the?!" She growled as she realized her present situation. She turned to find herself curled up in Vergil's lap, and Vergil actually...blushing. It was understandable considering when they fell Vergil had put his arms out to catch her so she had fallen with one arm around the back of his neck for balance and he with both arms around her waist to make sure she did not hit her head on the metal bar behind their heads. Vergil's face therefore was just to the side of her left breast. His hand crossed her stomach to reach down and grab the top of her thigh to keep her steady which pulled the skirt up in the process, while his other arm was up under her bust.

He let his hands drop to the seats when he realized their intimate placements, but they could not get any further than this. Lady might've hit him if it weren't for that blush on his face. It at least proved that it wasn't intentional. Didn't stop her from turning bright red though.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he turned his face away from her so he wouldn't be face to chest with her any longer.

"It's OK," she replied silently as she also turned to look from him. It was awkward and tense all at the same time. She had never sat on anyone's lap before and it was soon obvious by the sudden pressure on the back of her thigh that he wasn't use to it either. Their stop was coming up soon, so it wouldn't be much longer till people began to file out and they two could work their way off as well. Yet Lady felt her heart beating in her ears and also felt them burning. She wondered if he could hear it too, considering the slightest adjustment would have him temple to the side of her chest where her heart was pumping like mad.

It occurred to her if he wanted to he could very easily just turn and take advantage of her if it suited him. This made her turn back to look at him, but he was sitting with his eyes closed with his lips drawn in a tight press. He almost looked pained. She blinked at him surprised, because it seemed he was concentrating on something else or more so trying to delay the reality of their current position...

"Vergil?" Lady asked down at him.

He turned to look at her with his best nonplussed look and it made her laugh because it was not fooling anyone.

"You OK?" She asked with a smirk. "I can move if--" she began, but then she felt one of his arms come up to lock around her abdomen possessively, forcing her back onto his lap with a grunt from both of them.

"Don't move," he requested in a hushed tone just audible over the noise of the car. The voice behind it made her tremble slightly, especially when he leaned his head sideways into her ribcage as if suddenly exhausted. His fingers idly clasped the side of her shirt.

"You OK?" She asked again when he just closed his eyes. She had a bird's eye view of him as she looked at his white lashes lying against his cheeks. He seemed to let out a deep sigh and suddenly he was nuzzling against the side of her breast with his cheek. "Hey..."

It wasn't much of a protest because it caused her hair to stand on end when he did that and that made it hard to remember why she was supposed to be protesting. He turned his face and pressed a single kiss to her shirt. That caused her to jump out of her skin, and yet she found her hand curling around his neck to draw his face closer to her chest. She had to look away though as a flush crept into her cheeks. What met her eyes as she turned made her gasp for another reason.

The suit with the cell phone had not only turned around to watch them like a pervert, but he was holding his cell like he was taking pictures...or perhaps a video.

"You--" Lady began, but soon found herself seated alone on that chair and Vergil towering over the pervert just as the car stopped. He took off towards the door as they opened, but before he could get there Vergil pushed him out the doorway, causing him to fall and scrape himself up pretty bad. Lady pushed her way through to see where the two had gone. As she left the car onto the platform she found the man holding his bloody cheek that had gotten scraped on his fall down lying at Vergil's feet.

Vergil was glaring dangerously down at him, as if he wanted to kill him. Instead he pulled the man's cell phone out, having grabbed it before pushing him, and dropped it to the ground. He then lifted his foot and slammed down on it with such force the ground cracked around it.

"I'm sorry! Please!" The man cried as Vergil's eyes fell on him again before he reached down to drags him up by the lapels of his coat.

"Vergil!" Lady called out and came to stand by his side. "C'mon, just let him go."

Vergil turned to look down at her, then back at the trembling man in his hands. Lady knew Vergil would've loved to humiliate the man some more for his rude and indecent act. Lady though knew they were partly to blame for doing something so private on public transportation. Hell, despite what he did she felt sorry for him just by the sheer terror in his eyes as he looked at Vergil.

"Someone call security!" a person shouted from the crowd, and that seemed to break Vergil's glare. He dropped the guy in an instant and grabbed Lady by the hand to pull her away from the scene.

"Where are we going?" Lady asked as he wouldn't let up on his grip.

Before he could answer Lady heard quite clearly someone yell "they went that way" as they began running up the stairs. While Lady did not want to get caught by the police she didn't understand why Vergil was running.

"Come on!" Vergil growled as he pulled her along the alleyways. They could soon hear the sirens all around them and Lady was baffled.

"Vergil, why are we running?"

"They're human. I promised Dante I wouldn't harm any humans," he mumbled in frustration. "They have not yet seen us, so it is possible to get away."

He dragged her along at a painful pace and Lady was soon finding it difficult to keep up with him as her hand began to pull at his own. The alleyway they'd taken turned out to be a dead end and to make matters worse it began to pour down hard. A final "fuck you" from the drab weather from earlier that day.

"Here, get on." Vergil growled when he stopped just in front of her and offered her his back. Normally she would've argued, but the idea of spending the night being questioned by the police on why she had an arsenal concealed under her skirt was NOT something that sounded fun. She hoisted herself onto Vergil's back and held on tightly as he leapt upwards with such agility to land himself on the rooftop of the building that blocked their pathway. Vergil allowed her to remain on him as he jumped across a couple rooftops before dropping down.

He let Lady slide off his back before pulling her into a covered bus bench. He was breathing hard as he looked around, almost listening for something.

"Damn it!" He growled, and it took Lady a moment to hear the sirens too. They were coming this way.

"What do we do?"

Her words caught in her mouth though as Vergil was eyeing her interestedly under a mop of wet hair.

"What?" She asked as she shivered from the cold.

"Do you trust me?" He asked as he stepped towards her.

"No," she replied as she stepped back and hit plexiglass.

"Good. You shouldn't."

Vergil pressed her up against the glass and covered her mouth with his own. Lady was taken back by his sudden brashness, especially when he slipped a slick tongue past her lips to caress her own. It was a rough kiss, hungry and demanding as the body now pressed against her. She felt the wet fabric on his knee press against the back of her inner thigh causing her to let out a cry that was part protest, part moan.

It was almost surreal that when she finally let her guard down Vergil finally made that connection and as much as she had always dreaded it she physically was in heaven. She reached out for him and crushed her mouth back against his own as she used the lapels of his coat to pull him closer to her.

His hands gripped her hips before moving their way down to smooth over the curve of her backside and she sighed against his mouth. She saw flashing lights through her tightly closed eyes and was vaguely aware of sirens passing in close proximity to them, but she didn't care. If jail was the price she had to pay to finally be able to taste him then she would slap the handcuffs on herself.

The kiss slowed in pace and she snaked her hands up to run through his wet hair, pushing it back from his face so she could see him more clearly. Water droplets ran down over his skin as those beautifully fierce eyes watched her with a heavy breath. He leaned in again and slowly ran his mouth across hers before pulling back with a shudder.

"Lady..." he sighed.

"Mmm?"

"They're gone now."

Her eyes unclouded and her stomach fell out at those words as he moved from her grasp. She looked around and all she could see and hear now was the rain outside the plexiglass covering, and Vergil who stood at its opening calm as ever as he let his hand reach out to catch the droplets.

"Let's head home," he said as he waited for her to join him. Lady though was still standing disheveled and breathing hard against the wall, completely dumbfounded on what just happened. He'd only kissed her to get the police off them? She wanted to be mad, to yell and scream at him but she felt quiet disappointment washing away the heat he left behind and suddenly all she wanted to do was go and hide somewhere. She moved towards the opening and just started walking when Vergil stepped out into the rain to lead them back home.

--

The two walked the rest of the way home in silence, completely drenched from head to toe. Lady watched Vergil's back the entire way shivering not at the cold rain but the feel of warmth still left behind after that kiss.

What had he been thinking inside that bus stop? She was hopeful it had meant something more than just a convenient way of skirting the people chasing them. God, if he had kissed her a second longer she was sure they would eventually be found for indecent exposure. Her heart was still pounding as he opened the door to let her in. As she walked by him her ears reddened as she felt his gaze practically piercing her very skin under his haughty stare.

She made her way to the kitchen where she grabbed a dish towel and began wiping her face and arms, all too aware that Vergil had taken a seat at the table behind her and was still watching her. She never turned back to return it though, and instead busied herself by washing the dishes left over from the morning. Twenty minutes passed and still he sat, watching her to the point the tension was palpable between them. She felt her legs quiver and had to steel her spine from not melting under its weight.

"I suggest you get out of those wet clothes before you catch cold Lady." He finally said when she wouldn't look at him. She heard him stand. "I recommend a hot shower as well."

"OK," she said in a small voice with a nod. She heard his footsteps leave the kitchen, pause, and then begin ascending the stairs. She waited a few minutes to make sure he was completely up there before turning around. He'd left his wet coat on the chair and Lady found herself moving towards it. She lifted the wet leather up and pressed the cold fabric to her cheek with a deep sigh. Oh, this was bad. Seriously bad. She had never wanted anyone as much as she wanted Vergil in that moment and that turned her desire into a twinge of anger.

What if he was only messing with her this entire time? If Vergil had liked her he would've said something, or at least taken advantage of her at the bus stop very easily. He was, after all, Dante's twin. Why should she be avoiding him? She would just ask him straight out what he thought of her, and wanted from her. She had never been the shy type until he came around and she would be DAMNED if she was going to let him push her around anymore.

Lady set the coat down, rolled up her sleeves and stomped her way up the stairs. If he told her now there was nothing going on then she would be cool, and since her and Dante were good again she could just move back in with him to avoid any awkwardness. Lady was a problem solver after all.

She didn't even bother knocking on his door with how riled up she was as she entered the room.

"Listen here Vergil, you and I need to have a --"

Lady immediately stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. She could not believe what she had just busted in on. She moved to steady herself on the wall as she put a hand to her mouth and tried to flush that image from her head.

Apparently Vergil's suggestion for her to shower hadn't been idle, because he had taken his own advice. She had walked in on Vergil naked, standing to the side and drying his hair with a towel. Lady stifled a nervous giggle that was creeping its way up her throat. She.Had.Seen.EVERYTHING. Her cheeks flushed and she buried her face in both her hands. She should've knocked! Why didn't she knock?!

The warmth left behind by that kiss seemed to have worked its way to every inch of her skin at the memory of what she had just seen. He was so beautiful, and sensual in almost everything he did it was a wonder she had never bothered to notice it the minute she met him. It was apparent to her now and the desire that had been growing over the last couple of days seemed to finally reach its limit. She wanted to touch his skin, and know what it felt like to feel the weight of him. She wanted... so much more than what she'd been given. She felt feverish and had to let out a hot breath to keep her cool. Yet she found she was trembling at the images going through her mind, aching...throbbing.

Then his bedroom door flew open to cast light onto her as she stood in the dark hallway, NOW a towel conveniently around his hips as he watched her from the doorway. They stood in silence as Lady watched him, trying to remember how to breathe normally again. His hair was down on one side, obscuring all but one eye that seemed to penetrate with a glance as droplets fell down his neck, shoulders, chest, abs...and lower.

"Vergil, I-I'm so sorry," Lady said trying not to laugh as her face turned a million shades of red. She was watching his wet skin glistening in the light of the candle from his room. Ok, so that wasn't helping. She was so embarrassed by his look, and her feelings at that moment that she felt a sudden need to flee.

Lady turned to go back to her room quickly with an embarrassed look on her face, but was suddenly grabbed and found his lips on hers again as he lifted her legs up to wrap around his waist. The simple move causing the towel to lose its own grip and fall to the floor.

Lady lost control, completely and totally giving in to him as they fell into the wall behind her where she let out a loud cry at feeling the direct effect of his hips being slammed into her own. If it hadn't been for being fully clothed she was sure she would've been severed in two by the man, but soon forgot about it as she managed to find his lips again and devoured them with the same fervor as he was hers.

She tried to hold onto him to keep from slipping from his mouth as the combination of her wet clothing and his wet skin was making her legs lose their grip on his waist, and the only reasonable way to get it back was to move up against him as he bucked his hips forward to reposition her above him. She took his face in her hands and kissed down at him once he got her up far enough, her legs now more wrapped around his abdomen. He pushed her hair up from her face as he explored her mouth with his tongue and finally pulled away to allow them breath.

In a second he had her up in his arms bridal style, determining that the current position would not work to do all she hoped her had in mind for her. She leaned up and bit, kissed, and licked at his neck as he carried her towards his bedroom door.

"Oh... Fine… whatever." She whispered exasperated. "I don't even care anymore."

She didn't. Dante had been right today, because putting up those walls never had gotten her anything she wanted. She realized that she wanted Vergil; not only as a lover, but as a companion she could talk with and be close to without awkward feelings. She had always been so strong, but secretly wanted someone to be strong for her, and Vergil could be that.

His body tensed though at those words and he stopped just outside the door as if he had just been slapped. Slowly he let her feet fall to touch the ground.

"Vergil?" She asked surprised as she looked up at him with her arm still around his neck.

He reached back and removed her arm from him with a cold and indifferent face suddenly replacing the warmth and want from moments before. He walked into the room and shut the door with a slam, leaving Lady to wonder what exactly had just happened...

She leaned over dumbstruck and picked up the towel he had just discarded and watched it with a worried look. What did she do?

--

Vergil stood against his bedroom door with his chest heaving, his eyes heavy and his groin on fire. It had almost happened, but those words...

He suddenly reached out and began ripping the bed covers from his bed angrily shredding them in frustration. He beat his fists into the mattress hard, hearing the box spring beneath quivering under his assault. He knew she still stood outside his bedroom door, and so he grabbed a vase off the nightstand and threw it at the door to get her away from him. If he saw her again, there was no telling what he might do. He heard her gasp and her footsteps leaving down to her room.

It calmed him enough to slump against his bed, not aware yet that he was sweating profusely, naked from head to toe... and shivering.

Everything had been fine before today, he could control himself. Sitting with her on the subway, that first kiss… God that had been a mistake to touch those lips again. That first night she had been asleep, but feeling her willingly kissing him back had set a fire in him he could not qualm and so he had ended it so he did not take her there on that bench. Although the idea had appealed to him so desperately at the time.

When you like someone though, you forget your feelings in favor of their own he was learning all too well. So he had tried to maintain his distance from her, to protect her from his own raging hormones. When she'd walked in on him though... and saw his need it had been like the year long dreams, frustration and sexual tension had exploded and he could not hold himself back. What joy to feel her on his fingertips and elation when she returned his passion. He would've loved her all night if given the chance...

_I don't even care anymore..._

His eyes narrowed as he reached over and grabbed the pants that had lain neatly out on his bed before he tore its coverings to shreds. Vergil stood and put them on gingerly, growling at feeling fabric against his raw skin. He had realized that in that moment she spoke those words that he had failed. Sure she was quivering in his arms, but if he wanted idle sex he wouldn't have worked so damned hard to make her trust him. It all meant nothing, and that had angered him.

He reached for a shirt and threw it on along with shoes before turning to his window and opening it. He had promised her a place to stay, but with him around it would no longer be a safe place for her. He teleported down to the street to look back towards his room.

Vergil, who could care less what the world thought of him felt a pain in his chest unlike anything he'd ever felt and deemed his feelings officially lost as he turned to find comfort in the solitude of night.


	10. Romance

**Dude, I think I'm gonna cry! lmao!! Oh wait, I am... damn. 100 reviews!! I made it with one chapter to go!! You guys rock!**

**OK, so this is the LAST chapter! -cries even more- I again wanted to thank you guys for all your words of encouragement over the last year for this story, and as mentioned previously this story is dedicated to everyone who read and reviewed this or even took a tiny gander at it. I can't believe it's come to an end, but I think you guys will enjoy this chapter as much as I loved writing it. :)**

**Few notes for you. Firstly, thank Takuma for the addition of the last scene as she offered an idea of a "book reading" scene that I originally wasn't planning to use since this chapter has been written for a few months and I had the end already in my head. Thanks to her though I wrote a little beyond what I had intended and I think it ends it a LOT better than I originally planned! So THANK YOU TAKUMA!! If you love her for this idea then you could check her fanfiction as a thank you. ;)**

**Secondly the book Vergil reads from is a real book. "Phantom" by Susan Kay is hands down my favorite book ever. Copies are (or were when I was 18, almost 25 now) hard to come by, but if you can find it I highly recommend it. It takes the original Phantom of the Opera story and expands it from Erik's birth to his death told by the people who knew him and ultimately told by Christine and Erik during the opera section. It's beautiful! Sooo in love with it. Anywho, so the passage he reads is not mine, but from Phantom, owned by Susan Kay. Seemed an appropriate passage for the two of them.**

**So enjoy this final chapter, and as always take care!**

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**Nothing But Trouble**

**Chapter 10**

He had been gone for three days, and every day he was gone Lady became more on edge and worried. He hadn't left a note or anything saying where it was he was going. Being alone in his house was driving her crazy, hating to admit she missed his quiet company.

She had made a habit of leaving the house early to avoid having to be alone there as well as hoping when she returned in the evening she would see a light coming from within. Every time she saw the cold darkness in the windows upon her return it only made her feel even more hollow than the day before.

Two more days passed and still no signs of Vergil. She had gone to Dante's only for him to say he hadn't heard from Vergil either, which he brushed off.

"He does this sometimes. He's just always disappears when he feels like it but he's always come back."

"For how long?" She had asked nonchalantly. She didn't want Dante to know she missed him.

"His current record is about four months," he replied absentmindedly scratching at his chin.

"F-four months?! And you've never worried?" She asked surprised.

"He's been gone a lot longer in the past." Dante grinned at her, no doubt referring to their childhood and separation prior to Mallet.

So if Dante wasn't worried then why should she be? _Because you hurt him, that's why_. Well, hurt wasn't exactly the word...or was it? Vergil was just too complicated to deal with! He had been toying with her right?!

Lady walked the same steps she had since Vergil disappeared, turning the corner and closing her eyes with a deep breath. When she opened them she would know if he was back or not. She felt anxiety in the moment before her eyes flew open and saw... darkness in the front bay window. She felt that coldness, followed by a sudden jolt as light ABOVE caught her eye. There was a small flicker coming from Vergil's room.

Lady ran at full speed across the street, narrowly missing being hit by a car she hadn't seen. She jumped onto the hood and jumped off again without a second glance back at the driver shouting profanity at her. She ran up the front steps, flung open the door, and took the stairs two at a time until she pushed Vergil's bedroom door open at the end of the hall.

She threw herself into the center of the room breathing heavily as she looked around to find only a lit candle on his night stand with no signs of Vergil. Lady looked again and stomped her foot impatiently at seeing no one. She went over and dropped sulkily onto his bed feeling angry and disappointed. She could still feel the butterflies flickering in her stomach at the hope she'd find him in this room.

When she looked up from her sitting position though she was greeted by the sight of Vergil giving her an odd stare. He had been standing behind her, well, behind where the door opened. He was digging in his armoire when she had come bursting in. He had probably seen her temper tantrum too, but she didn't care.

"Where the HELL have you been?" She snarled at him hopping from her sitting position to stalk over to him. He raised a calm eyebrow at her.

"Away. I only came to get a few things," he replied as he turned and began pulling some things out of the armoire.

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you have any idea how worried I've been? You couldn't have even left me a note?" She asked incredulously as she pulled on Vergil's shoulder to turn him to face her again.

"Worried?" He chuckled dangerously. "Why my dear, you _don't even care_. Why would you worry?"

"That is taken out of context!"

"Is it? So you admit you have feelings for me then?" He asked pointedly, glaring down his nose at her. Lady switched weight on her legs uncomfortably.

"I didn't say that...," she began until Vergil pushed her out of the way to go for the door. "Vergil WAIT! Where are you going? This is your house!"

"It is, but I promised you hospitality as long as I could. I fear for me to remain here with you won't guarantee your safety at my hands." His voice grew darker near the end of the comment and Lady's breath caught in her voice.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked, unsure if she wanted an answer.

"To put it bluntly my dear, I wouldn't have any qualms in taking you right here and now," he growled deeply at her. Her eyes hardened at this.

"So you're leaving then?"

"Get out of my way Lady." He said pointedly when she blocked the door with her hands on her hips.

"No, I'm not letting you leave until you tell me why." She growled determined to keep him there. After all she had just reconciled with Dante so the last thing she wanted was the roles reversed where Dante was talking to her but Vergil was not.

He moved forward and she put her hands to his shoulders to hold him back.

"DON'T touch me!" He said as he cringed back from her touch as if he feared it.

"Talk to me Vergil!"

"Are you deliberately trying to pick a fight with me?"

"If that's what it takes, then yeah, maybe I am." She said as she came to stand toe to toe with him. He glared down at her before she got up in his face. "We're gonna talk this out if I have to push you to the floor and keep you there. What are you going to do about it?"

"You do NOT want my answer to that." He said dangerously as his eyes narrowed. She took another step, now nose to nose with him.

"Try me," she said in a low voice.

His mouth twitched in a bit of a sneer as he glared down at her, but Lady wasn't letting him leave even if she had to fight to keep him there. Not until they finally talked this out. She was tired of second guessing his actions.

"Stop messing with me Vergil! I'm getting sick and tired of you toying with me. This may be fun and easy for you, but..."

"Fun? EASY??" He snarled suddenly, causing her to take a step back. It was too late though as he grabbed her hand and whipped her onto the bed. She had been so caught off by his sudden burst of anger she hadn't even seen it coming. She sat up on her elbows and stared wide eyed at him as he strode close and placed a knee down into the mattress directly between her thighs. He leaned forward to look her square in the eye.

"Easy? You think this is easy?! I showed you days ago of my intent towards you and don't you DARE deny what almost occurred a year ago!" He growled down at her, a malevolent smirk spreading across his face as her widened eyes gave away that she knew to what he was referring. "I have given you time, patience, and understanding. I have comforted you, and watched you from a distance without asking anything in return. All the while tormented by my own want to be a part of your world. I have degraded myself in front of my brother and in front of you all in some hope that you would actually notice me..."

"I'm sorry..." Lady interrupted.

"You're sorry? After all this time NOW you feel it's convenient to apologize for ignoring my feelings and for what? All in favor of some misguided need to block the world out so you'll never have to feel pain again. I have news for you Lady, life is pain." He grabbed her hand and pulled it forward to rest just over his heart. She could feel the rapid beating there like an angry drum. "I have backed off, looked away, and allowed you to slip through my fingers. I was even willing to remove myself from my home for the safety of your comfort and peace of mind because THIS is what you do to me. I don't feel so merciful anymore."

Vergil began to lean over her, pressing her into the mattress. Lady reached down and pulled the gun concealed a small ways under her skirt. In a split second it was pressing flat against Vergil's forehead as she tried hard to calm her own breathing.

"If this is going to happen it's not going to be like this," she said angrily. "Calm yourself down now or I pull the trigger."

Vergil stared at her, then to the hand holding the gun and a grin spread over his face.

"Pull it then...," he crooned, his eyes simply drinking in the fire in hers. Lady pulled the hammer back and applied only enough pressure to the trigger to insure he wouldn't have a second to react. She had misjudged him though, fully expecting him to lunge for her hands with his. Instead he pressed his knee forward which caught her off guard as it brushed against the tight shorts beneath her skirt. In the split second her guard was down he pulled the gun from her hand and dropped the clip to the floor.

Lady took the moment to lift her legs up and do a roll backwards to move further towards the headboard. She stood straight up on the bed and watched Vergil closely as she silently tried to find an escape. Vergil ripped his shirt clean off and tossed it to the floor, more than ready for a good fight should she be willing. He blocked her exit.

She felt her face flush at the sight of him like that. Eyes partially narrowed as his chest and stomach heaved with whatever was raging within. He was like a bull ready to charge and she felt a twinge of anticipation at the potential fight that would result from this... and it was a turn on. She felt her skin break into goose bumps as he eyed her from head to toe, licking his lips in concentration, looking for an opening.

All the times he was close to her, or touching her she knew full well she was anticipating something happening. She cared for him enough to worry when he did not return, and had enough fevered dreams since a year ago to last her a lifetime. The trouble was that while fierce on the outside, inside she was scared. Not to love the fool, but of what he wanted from her. She had always been afraid of intimacy, both physically and emotionally. It was giving over control and that was something she had never lost. She was ALWAYS in control of everything in her life. If he wanted her, he would have to fight good and hard. Submission wasn't in her vocabulary.

Lady moved forward with her fists raised ready to punch, kick and bite if need be. She swung at him and he ducked down, grabbing her legs under her knees with his forearms. He pulled forward and it pulled her legs out from under her dropping her to the mattress. As he moved up on her she lifted her legs and clamped her thighs around his throat, pulling him up and over her, this time allowing her to flip on him. She grinned down at him triumphantly as he glared up at her from between her knees.

"Surrender?" She panted.

Rather than speak his eyes looked deviously up at her almost mocking her for making such a foolish move. He opened his mouth but not in reply. Instead he licked her inner thigh and Lady felt a shiver run up her spine. _Vergil 1, Lady 0._

She untangled herself from him and hopped off the bed, making for the door. Before she reached it though her arm was up behind her back and she was against the wall.

"Surrender?" He said in a mock tone breathing in her ear as he pressed her between himself and the wall. Lady grinned.

"Not in your lifetime," she whispered back turning her head to see him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at her, his eyes hard as they bore into her own. She felt his free hand crawl up to the exposed side of her neck and touch her jaw lightly.

"You do realize my lifetime is a lot longer than yours?" He purred as his heavily lidded eyes closed slowly. He leaned in and rubbed his top lip against her bottom and they both shivered. He pressed his body into hers with a low growl and yet did not kiss her. Lady sighed against his mouth.

"Yeah, which means you'll live to regret this long after I'm gone."

He pulled back slightly to look her in the face, both of them breathing heavily from their fighting and also from the excitement of being so close. His hardness pressed against her made Lady ache all over to feel more of his touch. He was teasing her now and she knew it, but if anything happened it would be on her terms not his.

She bucked against him, trying to create some room between herself and the wall but he had her so hard pressed it was impossible. He ran his thumb down the curves of her neck and she couldn't help but sigh a little, her eyes fluttering closed before opening to see his blue ones watching her fascinated. He was enjoying her reactions.

"Does it feel good?" He asked as he nuzzled his face into her shoulder. Lady said nothing, only turned her face to the wall so he couldn't see that obviously it did. He pushed the hair away from the nape of her neck, his fingers scraping upwards before he did to the back of her neck that which he had not done to her lips. Lady groaned as he kissed hungrily at the back of her neck, causing her to press her free palm flat to the wall to steady herself. She found her body curving out to meet his in the process, her forehead touching the beautiful dark blue wallpaper of his bedroom wall.

He suddenly let go of her arm and instead pulled her to stand against him as his fingers fiddled with the buttons of her shirt. She forgot how to protest as every time he made to undo a button she got a taste of his fingertips on the skin of her stomach and ribcage. Instead she let out a frustrated groan as she reached her arm backwards to the back of his neck, pulling him closer and causing him to devour the skin of her neck on his lips. The kiss was becoming more heated and his breathing was so shallow and warm.

"Vergil," she sighed as he slid a hand into her shirt, finding the under wire of her bra.

"Tell me what you want," he purred seductively as his other hand made it to the top of her skirt, his fingers dipping just beneath the waistband but holding still just there. Her breath caught as she took in where his hands were and the meaning of what he had just said.

She turned in his arms to lean against the wall, finally creating some distance between them. He never took his eyes off her as he slowly undid the remaining buttons one by one. She watched him through heavy eyes as he parted the shirt and gazed down at her partially exposed torso. He lifted a hand to smooth his knuckles against her abdomen and Lady's breathing hitched as her body trembled from head to toe.

His eyes were examining her with all the demonic origin within him, so raw and real that she was hypnotized. Yet he stood his ground, angering her further. Then she realized... he was waiting for her to make the next step.

She lifted a hand and slapped him across the face with everything she could muster as a final fleeting protest, and he took it. She was breathing hard as he turned his face back towards her, barely flinching as red stained his cheek in flush from her blow. That was all it took as those piercing eyes returned to hers. She lost control.

Lady grabbed him and pressed a heated kiss on his lips, condemning them both as she finally gave in and took what he offered. Exactly what she wanted all along.

--

She lay curled up beside him just staring in child-like wonder. He was asleep, but for the life of her she could not seem to. It was her first time after all. Lady blushed maroon and tried to stem the giggles she felt at imagining what she had just done... with Vergil.

She slowly lifted his side of the covers and greedily looked at his sleeping form, still undressed from... She suppressed another giggle and covered her eyes with her hand. _Oh... my...God._

It was both exactly and nothing at all what she thought it would be, and she was wondering why she had feared it so much. Possibly because sex was unknown to her in most every form. She always had more important things to think about. Now though, with him laying so close to her she felt it was the only thing she could think about. She had somehow warmed to him after the tender care he had given to her. Tenderness she did not know a man of demonic origin could possess.

Once they had both calmed down and accepted what was going to happen they had become completely different people. To think of it made her want to bury her head in the sand. Surely that hadn't been her voice calling his name? Another blush, to the point she felt her cheeks sour and water come to her eyes.

Vergil stirred slightly and she held her breath, praying he would not wake yet. She had no clue what the atmosphere would be like once he was conscious again. Besides, she had a bit of perverted revenge on her mind. Lady moved closer to Vergil and latched her mouth onto his neck, determined to leave several large hickies there as payment for the first night she came here.

She liked the way he tasted, and even more the scent of his skin. It was softest on his neck in comparison to his rough hands or slightly scarred body. She'd never left a hickie on anyone before, so she wasn't sure if she was doing it right. To keep the rest of her occupied she let her flat palm idly wandering over the muscles of his chest and stomach. It was so much easier to do when he wasn't awake, because he seemed determined to keep all the attention on her despite the fact she really wanted to touch him. She wouldn't say as much of course, but it had frustrated her to no end during. Now she was like a greedy child doing something she wasn't supposed to when no one was looking. Well, at least she thought no one was.

"What are you doing?" His voice rumbled, and Lady jumped back and almost fell off the bed to escape him.

She said nothing, just watched as he blinked at the ceiling before turning heavy eyes on her, his hand going to the wet patch on his neck.

"_You_ should be sleeping," he said as he tried to curl an arm around her to pull her close but Lady slapped at it.

"WAIT!"

"What?"

"You're touching me," she blushed as she pulled the covers tighter to herself.

"That would be the idea," he replied with a sigh as he propped himself up on his elbow to watch her from a laying position.

"But you're naked!"

"Thanks for noticing, how astute. So are you, by the way."

Lady huffed at him and made to tuck the blanket around her so she could get up and leave.

"I don't think so..." He growled as he yanked on the blanket causing her to fall back directly on him. "Finish what you started..."

"I started?! You're the one who seduced me!" She yelled down at him as she tried to push down on his chest.

"Did I now? I seem to recall you shoving your tongue down MY throat." He whispered up at her as his hands gripped her hips to keep her on him. She swallowed dryly and avoided his eyes.

"I only did it because of all the things you did," she sighed, not yet willing to admit defeat.

"Which means you like me, correct?" He breathed against her lips when he sat up to hold her on his lap.

"K-kinda..."

"You usually sleep with guys you like...kinda?"

"Jerk!" She suddenly yelled as she smacked at his chest, arms and neck in some weak show of domination. He just simply flipped her over to lay against her, pinning her arms between them which she was thankful for. The blanket had slipped down to only cover both their waists and not much else.

"If you don't go to sleep, we'll do it again." He warned her as he eyed her bare neck just a little too anxiously. "You wouldn't want that would you?"

"Yes please," she blurted out without really thinking about it. She didn't take it back or correct herself though. Vergil stared at her for a moment before dropping his forehead to her shoulder with a heavy sigh.

"You'll be the death of me woman." He growled as he felt her begin pulling the covers off of him, and a deviously perverse giggle leave her throat just next to his cheek.

--

"Vergil..." Lady mumbled as she turned towards his side of the bed to snuggle closer to him. Now she was exhausted and yet despite the fact they'd been in bed all day she still needed to wake to see him close to her.

She reached her hand out and grasped nothing but sheet. Lady opened one of her eyes and saw the space beside her was empty. Turning around she looked for signs of him, and yet he was nowhere to be found.

Pulling on one of Vergil's shirts Lady made her way out into the hall. First place she checked was the partially closed bathroom. As she entered though she found he was not there either. What she found instead made her blood boil.

She stared at her reflection to find hickies... EVERYWHERE. She peaked into her shirt, and sure enough her chest and stomach was covered in them as well! She recalled falling asleep in his arms as he kissed her neck. She wondered if maybe he realized what it was she had been trying to do to him and...

"Vergil!" She yelled out as she slammed the door open and made her way down the hall to the stairs. "When I find you I swear I'm going to kill you!"

Lady took the stairs quickly and practically jumped down the remainder. She flew into the living room to find no one, and so she went to the only other place he would be. She pushed the kitchen door in and tossed herself within to find him leaning against the counter drinking from a cup.

His eyes raised to hers very slowly, then back down to what she was wearing. She felt her face grow hot at his intense stare, but she wasn't going to let him seduce her into submission!

"Heh..."

Lady froze as she heard a chuckle come from her right. She slowly turned to see Dante sitting at the table ALSO intrigued by what she was wearing. No doubt seeing the numerous hickies left behind as well.

"DUDE!! It's about time!" Dante said enthusiastically as he stood and hugged Lady without warning. "I knew you two would finally get together!"

"JERK!" Lady yelled as she kneed Dante in the groin and turned on her heel to run back upstairs.

"You don't have any sense of tact, do you brother?" Vergil asked with a sigh as Dante knelt down on the floor groaning. He said something unintelligible and Vergil only set his cup down and walked around him. "Please see yourself out while I attempt to fix this..."

He slowly made his way upstairs to his bedroom that was still recovering from not only his attack days ago, but from last nights "fight" between them. He found Lady sitting on the bed buttoning her shirt, having already pulled on her skirt and one of her boots.

"Good afternoon," he said coolly as she looked up at him to glare.

"My ass! You just couldn't wait to brag could you?" She snapped at him as she stood to locate her other boot.

"I did not call Dante here Lady. He came over. I'm surprised you didn't wake at how loudly he was banging on the front door." He said as he gently took hold of her hand to stop her erratic searching. She turned to look at him hard in the face.

"You're not messing with me are you?"

"I have not now, nor have I ever _messed_ with you."

They stood looking at one another as he raised a hand to tuck her uncombed locks behind her ear.

"He came to tell me that you are welcome to come back to Devil May Cry if it suits you. I told him it was not necessary." He continued with a scrutinizing gaze to see how she would react to this.

"Good."

"Good? You seemed so anxious to move back in with him." Vergil said giving her a strange look. He hadn't expected that.

"When was I ever anxious?"

"The other day when you made up with him. You told him you'd like to talk to him about moving back in."

Lady reached up and hit his shoulder with an exasperated sigh.

"I was beginning to think you were the smarter of you two," she said rolling her eyes. He only raised an eyebrow at her. "I wanted to talk to him about moving back in. About not needing to anymore and to see if that was OK since... Well..."

"Say it," he said in slight awe as his fingers found her waist. She blushed and leaned towards him.

"I like you V-"

He didn't let her finish as he lifted her chin with one hand and pulled her to him with his other.

"Ha… w-wait..." Lady laughed as she pushed him back a bit. She had to arc her back because he refused to relinquish his hold on her. "If you do that we'll never leave this room!"

"I'm failing to see the issue here. It has been rather comfortable since last night, wouldn't you agree?" He said in a low voice as he nuzzled his bottom lip against her upper. His hand dropped to touch the top of her thigh languidly and she let out a loud sigh.

"N-not fair." She whispered as she closed her eyes and he began pushing her towards the bed.

"You should know that I never play fair, and always play for keeps."

--

It was amazing how much time could fly by when you were blissfully unaware of the world outside. Vergil could not help but stand in his front room waiting...anticipating when Lady would return from Dante's.

He hadn't known happiness in a long time, and did not immediately recognize it until the first time he came home to be practically attacked by an overly enthusiastic Lady as she flung her arms and legs around him before he'd even finished opening the door. It was new ground for him, but he found that slowly he anticipated it. In all the years he watched her from a distance he knew he wanted something from her, but his inexperience with relationships never allowed him to give thought to what that was.

At first it had been an uncontrollable lust to touch her, which never seemed to fully quell even after they spent three days alone in his room. Then it was a need to see her near him. Watching her sleep in the nude beside him, the way her fingers would curl at the back of his neck as she snuggled as close as she possibly could. Especially when he'd be woken to find her watching him and slowly trying to rouse him for another go. He especially loved that.

Then it had moved onto wanting to know more about her, and their bed time was spent with her laying with her head on his chest while she talked on and on about different subjects. He found out she'd broken her leg when she was 7 because she'd tried to rescue a cat from a tree and fallen from it. How her very first crush at 14 ended when he flatly told her he wasn't interested in her and she instinctively kneed him in the groin.

He had finally told her all he had kept locked away, including how upon seeing her at Temen-Ni-Gru he had been quite taken with her show of bravery when faced with him and Dante's battle. She had looked at him as if he were lying to her which only made him smirk. He was very good at not showing his internal thoughts when he needed to.

To his dismay though there was some rule that said she had to leave the house every so often to help out Dante. He didn't rightly understand WHY since he felt they should never have to leave the house, but apparently people's lives needed to be saved…bla bla bla...

Vergil decided that if he waited in the living room he would drive himself crazy so he opted to go upstairs and start a bath instead to work on his stress. He brought a book with him and just settled in to try and keep his mind off of Lady. Which was very hard to do, since being naked typically brought his mind back to her instantly.

While he read his ears were alert for any noise that might indicate her return. When he heard the front door open he felt his heart begin immediately thumping in his chest, yet he told himself he would make her come to him. He was the man after all, and supposed to show a sense of control. Even if he didn't feel he had any when it came to her.

He heard her footsteps come up the stairs and tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the book, which was proving difficult when the partially opened door slowly opened to display Lady smirking at him from the doorway.

"It's an amazing coincidence that every time I come home I manage to find you naked." She smirked as she stepped in to lean against the sink with her arms crossed.

"I assure you my dear. Coincidences have nothing to do with it," he replied as he looked at her over his book.

"What are you reading?" She inquired as she came to kneel next to the tub.

"Phantom. Quite good."

She pulled the book from his hand to inspect the inside.

"Ohhh, so this is the guy who kidnaps the girl and confines her to his home because he's obsessed with her right?" She asked cheekily as she tried to suppress her smile. He took the book back from her.

"No, it's a story that span's a single lifetime of a man who lived in forced solitude. Unable to see joy in living he walked it without seeing the true beauty until a nightingale flew into his drab cage and taught him not only to love, but how to let go of all that kept him caged in the first place." He whispered as he let a wet hand stroke her hair from her face. She blushed.

"How does it end?" She asked.

"Why don't you crawl in here with me and we'll find out together? I'm almost finished with it." He crooned as he popped the top button on her shirt open. Her face suddenly shone bright with a devious smile as she, rather than taking her clothes off, moved in to lay against him fully clothed. "Your clothes..."

"This way you'll keep your attention on the story rather than...other things," she grinned as she lay between his thighs with her head and hands pressed against his chest, her head just under his chin. He kissed the top of her forehead with a deep sigh.

"So this wasn't just a ploy to get naked with me?" He asked slightly disappointed.

"Read the book Romeo or I'm heading back to Dante's." She warned as she moved up and kissed the side of his neck. He groaned as he leaned his head back, but she didn't do anything beyond it as she laid her head back down.

Vergil sighed and picked the book back up, now slightly speckled with water from when Lady had crawled in to lay with him. Somehow despite not going in the direction he hoped he found himself happy at the simple fact she was willing to share his love of reading. He opened to the page he was on and began reading.

_Stunned, incredulous, scarcely able to believe in what I heard and saw I lifted her face with trembling hands and kissed her bruised and bleeding forehead with all the uncertain timidity of a terrified boy._

_And then suddenly I was no longer the teacher, but the pupil... for her arms were around my neck, her caressing hands an insistent pressure against my skull, drawing me forward with unbelievable strength into her embrace._

_When her lips closed over mine I tasted the salt of tears, but it was impossible to say whether they were mine or hers._

_Deeper and deeper she swam down into that embrace, pulling me like a lost pearl from the sucking mud of the ocean bed, dragging me relentlessly back up with her into the searing light of day. She kicked away the crutches of hate that had sustained me so long and made me stand with helpless wonder while her hands once more sought my face and drew it down to hers._

_A long long time she held me, as though she could not bear to let me go, and when at last we drew apart, we stared at each other with silent awe, dazed by the intensity of what we had shared._

_It was finished then, of course... that kiss ended everything._

**-The End-**


End file.
